The contract will see Rocket Lab design and manufacture 18 satellites for Tranche 3 of the Tracking Layer under the Pentagon’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a key element of Washington’s effort to detect and track emerging missile threats, including hypersonic weapons, on a global and persistent basis.
The deal comprises a base contract worth US$806 million (AU$1.2 billion), with a further US$10.45 million (AU$15.5 million) in options. It marks a milestone for the company and cements Rocket Lab’s position as a trusted prime contractor in the highly competitive national security space sector.
Each satellite will be equipped with Rocket Lab’s next-generation Phoenix infrared sensor, a wide field-of-view payload designed to provide early warning and precision tracking of missile launches.
To improve resilience, the spacecraft will also carry the company’s StarLite space protection sensors, intended to help shield the constellation from directed-energy threats.
StarLite sensors have also been selected by other prime contractors working on the same Tracking Layer tranche, opening the door to additional work for Rocket Lab beyond its own satellite builds.
The company said that when combined with potential subsystem supply contracts, including payloads, solar power systems, attitude control components and software, the total value of work captured across the program could approach US$1 billion (AU$1.48 billion).
The satellites will be built on Rocket Lab’s Lightning platform, drawing heavily on the company’s vertically integrated manufacturing model.
Most major components, including solar arrays, propulsion systems, avionics, payloads and launch dispensers, are designed and produced in-house, a strategy the company said allows it to deliver systems faster, at lower cost and with tighter control over schedules.
Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck said the Tranche 3 Tracking Layer was central to the US Space Force’s strategy for countering rapidly evolving threats.
“Rocket Lab is honoured to play a role in enabling this mission,” Beck said. “Demand for resilient, scalable and affordable space systems continues to grow, and this award shows we are uniquely positioned to deliver for national security customers.”
He said Rocket Lab was the only commercial provider producing both spacecraft and payloads in-house for the SDA’s Tracking Layer, describing the approach as “genuinely disruptive” in a sector long dominated by traditional aerospace primes.
The new award builds on Rocket Lab’s existing US$515 million (AU$766.8 million) contract to deliver 18 satellites for the SDA’s Transport Layer Tranche 2, which is designed to provide secure, low-latency communications across the broader space architecture.
In total, the Space Development Agency has now awarded Rocket Lab more than US$1.3 billion (AU$1.93 billion) in contracts, a strong vote of confidence in the company’s ability to deliver large, complex and high-risk national security space programs.
With its expanding role as a prime contractor for the US Space Force, Rocket Lab is increasingly being seen as a serious challenger to established defence and aerospace giants, reshaping how military space capabilities are designed, built and deployed.