Electron | The Cosmos Will See You Now | 22.01.2026

[Orionid]

18-15)

Pierwsze 2 satelity dla nowej konstelacji opracowywanej przez Open Cosmos, brytyjskiego producenta i operatora satelitów.
Nie jest znanych wiele szczegółów na temat satelity i konstelacji.
Wiadomo, że konstelacja będzie wykorzystywana do telekomunikacji.

Wcześniejsza data startu:

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 1:41 AM · Jan 16, 2026
Electron's first mission of the year is scheduled for launch from LC-1 in just 5 days' time.
"The Cosmos Will See You Now" is launching for @Open_Cosmos
 to a 1,050km orbit with 2x spacecraft.
Launch window opens:
🚀 12:09 am NZDT, Jan 21
🚀 11:09 UTC, Jan 20
🚀 6:09 am ET, Jan 20
🚀 03:09 am PT, Jan 20
🚀 11:09 am GMT, Jan 20

https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2011962098457493571

2)

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 6:11 AM · Jan 19, 2026
Wet Dress Rehearsal is complete and Electron is ready for its 1st launch of the year with @open_cosmos - though strong winds are a watch item for the launch attempt tomorrow. [...]

https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2013117070662365537

[Orionid]

3) Przełożenie startu z powodu pogody

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 11:57 PM · Jan 19, 2026
Launch update:🚀Due to strong winds and incoming bad weather, we're rescheduling our launch attempt for @open_cosmos. New launch date will be later this week, weather pending.

https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2013385253856124994

[Orionid]

4) Nowa data startu.

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 2:53 AM · Jan 22, 2026
We're getting ready 🚀 Preparations have begun for tonight's mission for @open_cosmos on Electron from LC-1.
Launch window opens:
🚀 11:52 pm NZDT, Jan 22
🚀 10:52 UTC, Jan 22
🚀 5:52 am ET, Jan 22
🚀 2:52 am PT, Jan 22
🚀 10:52 am GMT, Jan 22

https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2014154396591096132

[Orionid]

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 7:30 AM · Jan 22, 2026
From suborbital to >1,000km above Earth, Electron's payload deployment ability is wide-ranging. Here are the details for today's mission set for launch NET 11:52 p.m. NZDT.
🚀Mission Name: "The Cosmos Will See You Now"
🎯 Customer: @Open_Cosmos
 🛰️ Payload: 2x satellites
🌏 Orbit: 1,050km LEO
📍 Launch Site: LC-1
🏅1st Launch of 2026

https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2014224237461192738

[Orionid]

1. start RN Electron/Curie w 2026.

Po 69 minutach od startu zostały uwolnione dwa satelity zbudowane przez Open Cosmos.
Orbita jest nieco niekonwencjonalna: h=1050 km, a kąt nachylenia do równika wynosi 89°.
https://x.com/Kosmo_Michal/status/2014317627531763766

Para satelitów na nietypowej orbicie
  22.01. o 10:52 została wystrzelona z kosmodromu Onenui RN Electron/Curie. Wyniosła ona na orbitę o parametrach: hp=1050 km, ha=1050 km, i=89° dwa satelity Open Cosmos-1A i 1B
http://lk.astronautilus.pl/n260116.htm#09
https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/launches/the-cosmos-will-see-you-now/
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=64205.20

Electron launches two Open Cosmos satellites

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 8:34 AM · Jan 22, 2026
Electron has been raised vertical on LC-1 Pad A ahead of today's dedicated launch for first-time customer @open_cosmos.
Launch window opens:
🚀 11:52 pm NZDT, Jan 22
🚀 10:52 UTC, Jan 22
🚀 5:52 am ET, Jan 22
🚀 02:52 am PT, Jan 22
🚀 10:52 am GMT, Jan 22

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/2014240358461571418

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 10:28 AM · Jan 22, 2026
Electron is ready and LOX fueling is underway for launch in less than 2 hours. Weather is 80% favorable, the range is clear, and launch preparations remain on track for an on-time liftoff at 11:52 pm NZDT/ 10:52 UTC.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/2014268877421904342

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 11:34 AM · Jan 22, 2026
🚀 Join us LIVE for Electron’s 80th launch: "The Cosmos Will See You Now" mission for
@open_cosmos

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/2014285559678775312

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 11:55 AM · Jan 22, 2026
LIFTOFF for Electron! "The Cosmos Will See You Now" is on its way to space for Electron's 1st launch of the year

SECO confirmed and nominal transfer orbit achieved. Electron is set to deploy 2x spacecraft for Open Cosmos in just under an hour from now.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/2014293331514466738

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 1:04 PM · Jan 22, 2026
Mission success. Payload deployment confirmed for @open_cosmos. Welcome to orbit! 🛰️🚀

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/2014308197969129558

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 1:49 PM · Jan 22, 2026
Electron on its way to orbit for its 80th launch with  mission success for @Open_Cosmos

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/2014319497155625174

Open Cosmos @Open_Cosmos 1:45 PM · Jan 22, 2026
Mission Success: Expanding Europe’s Orbital Infrastructure

We are pleased to confirm the successful launch and deployment of the first two satellites of our new sovereign LEO constellation.

This milestone marks the transition from strategic planning to operational reality for the High Priority Ka-band radio spectrum filings awarded by the Principality of Liechtenstein.

This satellite was developed in record time, which was possible due to the technical excellence of our teams at our UK headquarters and across Spain, Portugal, and Greece. By maintaining our 100% mission success rate in orbit, Open Cosmos continues to demonstrate the reliability required to manage Europe’s critical digital infrastructure.

This is how we are establishing Europe’s LEO sovereignty and resiliency.
http://open-cosmos.com/leo-satellite-network-connectivity

https://twitter.com/Open_Cosmos/status/2014318591496143027

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 2:49 AM · Jan 31, 2026
The two @Open_Cosmos satellites launched on Jan 22 have been cataloged in Space-Track as "MR 1" and "MR 2" and labelled as country = UK (although OC had said they will register the sats as Spanish).  Not sure what MR stands for -
@RafelJorda? (Med. Res.? Multi Role?)

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/2017414851920842934

Rocket Lab launches first satellites for Open Cosmos constellation
by Jeff Foust January 22, 2026


A Rocket Lab Electron lifts off Jan. 22 from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab

WASHINGTON — A Rocket Lab Electron launched the first satellites for a new constellation being developed by Open Cosmos that will use spectrum previously assigned to Rivada Space Networks.

The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 5:52 a.m. Eastern Jan. 22. It deployed two satellites into a circular polar orbit at an altitude of about 1,050 kilometers one hour and nine minutes after liftoff.

The satellites are the first in a constellation being developed by Open Cosmos, a U.K.-based satellite manufacturer and operator. The company released few details about the design of the spacecraft or the overall constellation, other than that it will be used for telecommunications.

“This launch is a major milestone for Open Cosmos and a critical step in our mission to provide secure, sovereign connectivity for Europe and the world,” Rafel Jordà Siquier, founder and chief executive of Open Cosmos, said in a company statement after the launch.

“These first satellites lay the groundwork for a resilient network designed to support governments, institutions and commercial partners with dependable space infrastructure when it matters most,” he said.

While Open Cosmos is headquartered in the United Kingdom, the company has operations in several European countries, including Greece, Portugal and Spain. It said the satellites will be licensed and operated in Spain.

The two satellites launched on Electron will be used for technology and operations demonstrations and serve as a proof of concept for the broader constellation. The company, which raised $50 million in 2023 to expand its Earth observation satellite business, has not disclosed plans for future launches of the telecommunications constellation.

The satellites will operate in Ka-band frequencies using spectrum filings from Liechtenstein. That country’s government announced Jan. 14 that it awarded those filings, previously assigned to Rivada Space Networks, to Open Cosmos.

“This decision underscores Liechtenstein’s commitment to making use of the frequencies allocated to us. We are pleased that, through this filing with Open Cosmos, we are putting them to good and effective use,” said Hubert Büchel, Liechtenstein’s minister for home affairs, economy and sport, in a statement.

The filings, deemed “high priority” in terms of coordination with other networks, had previously been assigned to Rivada, which planned a 600-satellite constellation called Outernet to provide secure communications using laser inter-satellite links.

However, in the fall of 2024, Liechtenstein’s Office for Communications rescinded Rivada’s license over what the company described as “a difference of opinion about the timing of the deposit of a performance bond.”

Rivada has yet to launch any Outernet satellites. It had a contract with Terran Orbital to build the spacecraft, but the manufacturer said in August 2024 — shortly before its acquisition by Lockheed Martin — that it had removed the contract from its backlog.

Rivada has a separate spectrum filing through Germany for Ka-, Q- and V-band spectrum, which the company said in late 2024 was intended to augment its Liechtenstein filing but could replace it if needed.

The mission was Rocket Lab’s first launch of the year. The company conducted 21 Electron launches in 2025, a total that included three suborbital flights of the HASTE variant of Electron. Rocket Lab said in a post-launch statement that it has a “busy manifest” of Electron launches in 2026 but did not provide a specific estimate.

“What a great way to start off the year, by welcoming a new customer and launching a mission tailored just for them,” Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Today’s launch is a great showcase of the benefits of flying dedicated on Electron: accurate constellation deployment, streamlined access to space, and the reliability of consistently delivering mission success for our customers.”
https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-launches-first-satellites-for-open-cosmos-constellation/