MaiaSpace signs first Asia-Pacific launch deal with Japan's iQPS
MaiaSpace · iQPS
iQPS booked MaiaSpace to launch a series of its QPS-SAR satellites from 2029, MaiaSpace's first long-term Asia-Pacific customer.
what happened
Japan's iQPS contracted MaiaSpace to launch a series of its QPS-SAR synthetic aperture radar satellites starting in 2029, MaiaSpace's first long-term partnership with an Asia-Pacific customer, the companies announced Sept. 9, per Via Satellite. iQPS is building a 24-satellite SAR constellation by May 2028, with further satellites deployed through 2030, and its most recent launch flew on a Rocket Lab Electron in August.
why it matters
The deal gives MaiaSpace, whose Maia rocket has yet to fly, a launch backlog reaching into Asia-Pacific before its debut, and gives iQPS a second launch provider alongside its existing multi-launch Rocket Lab contracts as it scales toward a global near-real-time SAR revisit target.
for who
Smallsat operators comparing European launch options
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- MaiaSpace, iQPS
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- noise
- SNR
- 3 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-09-09
- Published
- 2026-09-10 21:29 UTC