Firefly Aerospace announced a multi-launch agreement with Japanese satellite operator Synspective on November 10, 2026, covering up to 10 dedicated Alpha rocket launches through 2030. The missions are planned to deploy as many as 20 StriX synthetic aperture radar satellites, with two spacecraft carried on each flight.
The agreement will use launch facilities on both U.S. coasts. Firefly plans to conduct missions from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
According to the Firefly announcement, the contract supports Synspective’s expansion of its Earth-observation constellation and adds another international customer to Firefly’s Alpha launch program. Synspective independently confirmed the agreement and satellite deployment plan.
Two StriX Satellites on Each Alpha Mission
Under the agreement, each Alpha rocket will carry two StriX radar satellites. The arrangement doubles the number of spacecraft Synspective can deploy on an individual mission compared with launches carrying one satellite.
Firefly describes Alpha as capable of delivering up to 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit. Its payload capacity allows Synspective to reserve dedicated missions for pairs of spacecraft rather than arranging separate launches for each satellite.
A dedicated launch gives the satellite operator greater control over payload integration, mission timing, and orbital destination. The rocket’s flight profile can be planned around the customer’s deployment requirements.
Synspective intends to use the additional launch capacity to expand its StriX constellation, which collects radar observations of Earth’s surface.
The companies have identified 2030 as the final year covered by the agreement. The announced quantity is a maximum of 10 missions and 20 satellites, rather than a statement that all 10 launches have assigned dates.
Why Synspective Uses Synthetic Aperture Radar
Synspective develops and operates satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar, commonly abbreviated SAR.
Unlike optical imaging satellites, which record sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface, SAR spacecraft actively transmit radio signals and measure the returning echoes.
The instrument combines radar measurements collected as the satellite travels along its orbit. Signal processing uses these observations to produce detailed images of the surface.
Because the instrument supplies its own radio illumination, SAR can collect observations during both daylight and darkness. The radar signals can also pass through many cloud conditions that obstruct optical imaging.
These characteristics make SAR useful for monitoring locations where weather or limited daylight interferes with conventional satellite photography.
Synspective uses its StriX constellation to support disaster assessment, infrastructure monitoring, environmental observation, and other geospatial services.
The underlying technology and its applications are explained in New Space Economy’s guide to synthetic aperture radar.
Expanding the StriX Constellation
Synspective is developing a constellation of small SAR satellites to increase the frequency with which its systems can observe locations on Earth.
A constellation consists of multiple spacecraft operating in coordinated orbits. As individual satellites pass over different regions, their observations can be combined to provide more frequent coverage.
Increasing the number of operating satellites can shorten the interval between successive observations of a location, depending on orbital geometry and imaging schedules.
For disaster response, repeated observations can document changes associated with flooding, earthquakes, landslides, and damaged infrastructure.
Synspective also supplies radar-derived information for monitoring ground displacement, land use, and infrastructure conditions.
The company has identified a planned constellation of 30 satellites as part of its development program.
The Firefly agreement provides transportation capacity for up to 20 spacecraft, complementing Synspective’s existing launch arrangements.
Launching From California and Virginia
The agreement identifies two launch locations: Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Pacific coast and Wallops Flight Facility on the Atlantic coast.
Vandenberg is particularly suited to launches into polar and high-inclination orbits. These trajectories are frequently used by Earth-observation spacecraft because they allow repeated coverage of large portions of the planet as Earth rotates beneath the satellites.
Wallops provides a separate launch location with access to orbital trajectories over the Atlantic Ocean.
Using both facilities gives Synspective additional options when assigning spacecraft to particular orbital inclinations.
Orbital inclination describes the angle between a satellite’s orbital plane and Earth’s equator. It influences the latitudes that the spacecraft can observe and the ground tracks it follows.
Firefly’s California facility has already supported Alpha missions. The company has been preparing Pad-0A at Wallops for additional Alpha operations.
The two-coast arrangement is part of Firefly’s effort to support commercial and government customers with dedicated orbital transportation.
Alpha Block II and Firefly’s Launch Program
Firefly identified the upgraded Alpha Block II configuration in its announcement of the Synspective agreement.
The company introduced Block II in January 2026 as a planned upgrade intended to improve reliability, manufacturing, and launch operations.
The changes include modifications to vehicle structures, avionics, propulsion components, and production processes.
Firefly designated Flight 7 as the final mission using the earlier Alpha configuration, with selected Block II systems operating in a test capacity. Flight 8 is planned to introduce the full upgraded configuration.
In its November 10 financial results, Firefly reported that Flight 8 was preparing for delivery to Vandenberg. Manufacturing and integration work was also progressing on subsequent Block II vehicles.
The company reported an extension of its Lockheed Martin multi-launch agreement for up to 25 Alpha launches through 2031. It also identified two Alpha missions contracted with SSC Space from Sweden’s Esrange Space Center.
These agreements form part of Firefly’s contracted launch activity alongside the new Synspective missions.
Synspective’s Other Launch Agreements
The Firefly agreement adds another provider to Synspective’s launch arrangements.
On October 1, 2026, Synspective announced a separate agreement with Rocket Lab covering 20 dedicated Electron launches scheduled from 2028 through 2031.
At that time, Synspective reported that Rocket Lab had launched 13 StriX satellites since the companies began working together in 2020.
The October agreement brought Synspective’s total contracted Electron missions to 47, including 34 that had not yet flown at the time of the announcement.
Synspective has also contracted with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for transportation aboard Japan’s H3 rocket.
The new Alpha agreement adds a launch vehicle capable of carrying two StriX satellites per dedicated mission and provides access to two additional U.S. launch facilities.
Firefly Chief Executive Officer Jason Kim identified Alpha’s one-ton payload capacity and the Block II configuration as features supporting the arrangement.
Synspective founder and Chief Executive Officer Motoyuki Arai described the additional launch provider as part of the company’s approach to expanding its constellation.
The November 10 agreement establishes a new multiyear deployment program for Alpha, with up to 10 missions and 20 StriX satellites scheduled under the arrangement through 2030.
