Overview
- The U.S. Space Force issued a $615 million second task order under the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program on Tuesday, awarding work to Rocket Lab, Systems & Technology Research (STR) and one contractor whose identity was withheld for security reasons.
- Rocket Lab said it received a $397 million portion to design, build, launch and operate so-called Flatellite spacecraft and plans to use its Neutron rocket, but the Space Force did not disclose how the $615 million total is divided among winners.
- SB‑AMTI is intended to shift some airborne sensing into low Earth orbit to provide persistent tracking of fighters, bombers, cruise missiles and potentially hypersonic weapons using space-based sensors, secure links and on‑ground processing.
- The Space Force used firm‑fixed‑price task orders to accelerate development, draw on commercial investment and deliberately preserve long‑term competition by maturing different sensing and on‑orbit processing approaches.
- Key details remain undisclosed, including the unnamed contractor’s role, technical specs and launch schedules, and the awards could reduce risk to aircrews and change how the military monitors contested airspace while creating new commercial opportunities for launch and satellite makers.