Overview
- Rocket Lab confirmed Monday that it received a $266 million multi-launch award from the U.S. Space Force to execute 12 suborbital missions with options for six more.
- The first flight is expected no earlier than late 2026, missions are planned through 2028, and roughly $112 million in research and development funds were obligated at award.
- The work will be carried out primarily from a new Rocket Lab location at the Pacific Spaceport Complex–Alaska in Kodiak, adding to the company's launch sites in New Zealand and Virginia.
- The contract was issued by Space Systems Command’s Rocket Systems Launch Program to provide responsive test launches for missile defense and hypersonic programs, and Rocket Lab says its HASTE vehicle is suited to that work though the Pentagon did not publicly name a rocket.
- The award is Rocket Lab’s largest launch contract to date and will boost multi-year government revenue while concentrating execution risk on vehicle selection, optional missions, launch cadence, and completion of Kodiak ground infrastructure.