Rocket Lab successfully launched its 94th Electron mission, deploying the latest StriX synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese company Synspective. The "Owl Around The World," mission lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 1201 UTC on Wed (Sept. 2).

The Electron's upper 'kick stage' deployed the Strix satellite 56 minutes after liftoff, into a 575 kilometer low Earth orbit to expand Synspective’s imaging constellation.

Synspective is building a constellation of approximately 30 StriX satellites to provide high-resolution Earth observation data for urban planning, infrastructure monitoring, and disaster response.

Named after the owl genus Strix, these satellites use radar to image Earth’s surface day and night, penetrating cloud cover and darkness.

The Strix constellation will "make it possible to quickly monitor and confirm on-the-ground changes during disasters such as earthquakes and floods at night, as well as in areas that are difficult to access," Synspective's website reads.

"In addition to disaster response, we will leverage our SAR satellite capabilities to promote efficient resource utilization," it adds. "For example, we can use our satellite data to monitor natural resources and urban development, ensuring sustainable and optimal use of land and water."

Rocket Lab has been the exclusive launch partner for Synspective since 2020, maintaining a 100% mission success record for all Synspective launches.

The company has 16 additional Electron missions booked to deploy the remainder of the constellation before 2030.

The StriX program began with StriX-α launched on December 15, 2020, followed by StriX-β in February 2022 and the first commercial satellite, StriX-1, in September 2022.

As of Wednesday's launch, 10 StriX satellites have reached orbit, including recent missions like "Viva La StriX" (May 2026) and "Ten Owl of Ten" (June 2026).

The Electron rocket is a two-stage, small-lift vehicle standing 18 meters tall, recognized as the world’s most frequently launched small-lift orbital rocket. Rocket Lab has also launched nine missions to date with HASTE, a suborbital version of Electron that allows customers to test sensors and instruments in a hypersonic flight environment. While Electron debuted in 2017, HASTE lifted off for the first time in June 2023.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday at 1600 UTC began a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets, including sites in Bandar Abbas, Jask, Sirik, Minab, Qeshm, and Chabahar.

The operation, CENTCOM claimed, targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) infrastructure, specifically air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities, and communications networks, in response to recent IRGC attempts to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US service members in the region.

A US strike hit a residential home in Kuhestak, Sirik, where a wedding celebration was taking place. According to the Iranian Red Crescent and local officials, the attack resulted in at least four deaths, including a child, and over 68 injuries.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the event as a "savage crime," while CENTCOM stated its focus was strictly on military and strategic infrastructure to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten maritime traffic.

In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at US-linked facilities across the region. The IRGC claimed successful strikes on 85 US military sites, including Camp Titin in Jordan and the Sheikh Isa Airbase in Bahrain. Jordan’s military reported intercepting 10 out of 13 incoming ballistic missiles, while Kuwait and Bahrain activated air defenses against hostile drone and missile attacks.

President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post, that Iran would face further, more severe escalation if it continued retaliatory actions.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters and the IRGC in a statement vowing a "crushing response," and continued retaliatory barrage operations involving ballistic missiles and strike drones aimed at U.S. assets and allied infrastructure across the Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.

The six-month conflict has focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil flows. Iran closed the waterway in response to U.S.-Israeli attack that started on February 28. U.S. naval forces claim to have conducted mine-clearing and escort operations which has come under Iranian attacks.

This tit-for-tat escalation marks the latest flare-up in a conflict that repeatedly disrupted global maritime trade. Prior to the September 1 strikes, a brief month-long lull broke down when U.S. forces struck missile sites on Larak Island. Iran answered with attacks on tankers and military outposts, directly leading to CENTCOM's massive September 1 military campaign.

Global energy markets responded immediately, with crude prices spiking over $4 a barrel to five-week highs. This comes as Iranian diplomatic efforts are underway at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to secure material and military assistance from partners like Russia and China.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot completed U.S. Spacewalk 99 Tuesday (Sept. 1), a historic sixth all-female spacewalk in human spaceflight history. Beginning at 1240 UTC, the 6-hour, 49-minute extravehicular activity (EVA) focused on station navigation, scientific maintenance, and infrastructure upgrades.

The primary task was installing a new retroreflector on the Harmony module Node 2’s forward port to support spacecraft docking and rendezvous operations. The older reflector that they replaced had become coated in thruster residue from earlier spacecraft arrivals and departures.

The duo also replaced a high-definition Camera Port 3 (CP3) camera on the station’s truss. "And it's off!" reported Meir after freeing the spent camera assembly that was swapped out for spare. Her words were met by applause in Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"That worked, great!" she said.

Adenot (EV-1) continued an ongoing scientific study by swabbing areas on the exterior of the airlock and her gloves for possible microorganisms. Meir, meanwhile, rode one end of the Canadarm2 robotic arm to a site near the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), torquing 46 bolts in preparation for future maintenance of the particle physics detector.

Meir (EV-2) also relocated power and thermal jumper cables and an articulating portable foot restraint for use on a later spacewalk.

Mission Control deferred installing the remaining guide studs for the spectrometer’s replacement radiator so engineers can develop a plan to finish the work during a future spacewalk. As the crew fell behind the timeline, the mission control team also shifted completion of the remaining jumper cables and other noncritical tasks to a later date.

During the excursion, Adenot experienced a temporary left-arm mobility issue caused by a glove heater harness. Meir took a look at Adenot’s suit and determined the glove heater harness was likely getting caught and causing limited movement in the left shoulder joint. Unzipping the joint seemed to resolve the issue ahead of the crew entering the airlock.

There were some other tasks planned, time permitting, but toward the end of the EVA, Adenot reported losing mobility in her left shoulder joint. Erring on the side of caution, Mission Control called for Adenot to wait where she was until Meir could follow her back to the airlock.

Once there, Meir was able to unzip a portion of Adenot's extravehicular mobility unit's (EMU's) upper arm assembly to inspect what was happening. In doing so, she freed the kink that had limited Adenot's motion.

"I think it was where the cable got caught in between the shoulder MLI [multi-layer insulation] and the rotation [joint]. I don't think it was held up by anything but some friction," said Meir.

The two Expedition 75 crewmates then proceeded back into the airlock to complete the EVA at 2029 UTC.

Meir completed her seventh spacewalk, moving into third place among NASA women astronauts for total EVAs, trailing only Peggy Whitson (10) and Suni Williams (9). Adenot completed her third spacewalk, becoming the first French woman to perform an EVA. Tuesday's mission was also the 284th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.