08:37 AM EDT, 10/10/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Rocket Lab ( RKLB ) said Friday that it signed a direct contract with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for two missions using its Electron rocket.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The missions, which will launch from New Zealand, will deploy satellites for JAXA's Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program, the company said.

The first mission, slated for December, will use Japan's RApid Innovative payload demonstration SatellitE-4 satellite, which will demonstrate eight technologies developed by private companies, universities, and research institutions in Japan, the company said.

Rocket Lab ( RKLB ) said the second launch, which is scheduled for 2026, will carry eight separate spacecraft, including educational small satellites, an ocean monitoring satellite, a demonstration satellite for ultra-small multispectral cameras, and an antenna that can be unfurled to 25 times its size.

Shares of Rocket Lab ( RKLB ) were up nearly 6% in recent premarket activity Friday.