Synspective has announced that its next satellite, "StriX-3", is set to launch in March. In a significant move for the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) observation data provider, the launch will enable it to provide more data services to its customers and signifies the first satellite of the company's larger planned operations.
Scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle at the Rocket Lab Launch Complex in New Zealand, the StriX-3 mission is due to commence during an 8-day window that opens on March 9th UTC. However, adverse weather conditions or complications may potentially delay or cancel the launch.
StriX-3 is the company's fourth SAR satellite, following StriX-, StriX-, and StriX-1, which were launched in December 2020, March, and September 2022, respectively. A key feature of StriX-3 involves its ability to create and manage satellites using a design similar to StriX-1. This feature allows Synspective to build the desired satellite constellation more efficiently by facilitating parallel production.
Dr Motoyuki Arai, Founder and CEO of Synspective, stated his contentment with the forthcoming launch: "I am delighted to be able to take on another challenge with the Rocket Lab team,... StriX-3 is our fourth satellite, enabling us to offer more data services to our new and existing customers." He added that the satellite was part of their plans for business expansion and would be "the first satellite aimed at full-scale constellation operations."
Dr Arai placed emphasis on the advantages the launch will bring to the manufacturing process and satellite operation. He conveyed that the launch "will advance our understanding of the manufacturing process, enhance our satellite operation know-how, increase the volume of data supply, and strengthen our data analysis capabilities."
He also shared their commitment to addressing sustainable development challenges: "To address all sustainable development challenges within our generation, we will push forward our analytics platform business, enabling societal progress through data-driven insights and collective learning."
Toshihiro Obata, Board Director and Head of the Technology Strategy Office, Synspective, shared his excitement about the forthcoming launch and appreciated those who contributed to the project. He added, "We learned a lot during the satellite manufacturing process, which will help us set up a new factory and a system for the parallel production of multiple satellites."
Obata expects StriX-3 to increase the company's image generation capabilities, enabling broader applications across various use cases. He also assured clients: "We will fulfill our customers' imaging demands with this satellite and accelerate the development of solutions, including SAR interferometry and disaster response." He asked the public to keep an eye on the StriX-3 launch and its subsequent functional verification.
Synspective works to provide one-stop solutions using satellite observation data to move the world forward steadily. Applying the results of the ImPACT program (led by the Government of Japan, Cabinet Office), Synspective is building a constellation of 30 high-frequency, high-resolution SAR satellites to provide data and solutions to government and commercial outfits.