Rocket Lab wins $90M space force deal for geostationary satellites
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) has been awarded a $90 million contract by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to design, build, and operate two geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, signaling an expansion of the company’s manufacturing footprint into higher-altitude national security systems.
The Long Beach, California-based company will serve as the prime contractor for the end-to-end mission framework.
Under the terms of the agreement, Rocket Lab will oversee initial vehicle fabrication, integrate its proprietary Heimdall optical payloads, coordinate deployment onto a government-furnished launch vehicle, and manage on-orbit satellite operations for up to five years post-commissioning.
The transaction marks Rocket Lab’s first operational satellite production program destined for geostationary orbit, a high-altitude regime roughly 35,786 kilometers above Earth.
The space vehicles are tasked with tracking objects and maintaining structural domain custody within the heavily monitored GEO belt to assist military space monitoring infrastructure.
To support the mission requirements, Rocket Lab will construct the satellites utilizing its standardized Lightning spacecraft bus, modified to withstand the heightened radiation, thermal environments, and persistent station-keeping requirements specific to geosynchronous trajectories.
The base Lightning platform is currently utilized in lower-altitude national security structures, including the Space Development Agency's secondary transport and tracking layers.
The $90 million award transitions the underlying Heimdall program from an early payload prototyping phase into standard operational hardware deployment.
The small, electro-optical sensors were originally developed by GEOST, a specialized tactical optical firm that Rocket Lab acquired in 2025 and rebranded as Rocket Lab Optical Systems.
Spacecraft assembly, subsystem integration, and environments testing will be conducted at Rocket Lab’s Spacecraft Production Complex in Long Beach, with final payload sub-deliveries sourced from its dedicated optics facility.
Shares of Rocket Lab rose moderately in extended market trading following the defense contract announcement.