The US Space Force has awarded Rocket Lab a $266-million contract to conduct up to 18 suborbital launches supporting missile defense programs.
The agreement, awarded through Space Systems Command’s Rocket Systems Launch Program, covers 12 suborbital launches with options for as many as six additional missions. The first launch is scheduled no earlier than the end of 2026.
Most of the missions will launch from Rocket Lab’s new site at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska in Kodiak. The Alaska facility will complement the company’s existing launch infrastructure at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and Launch Complexes 2 and 3 in Virginia.
The launches will primarily support missile defense efforts requiring frequent flight testing to mature technologies and evaluate system performance.
“Cadence, iteration, and relentless execution are essential to maturing America’s missile defense capabilities, and that’s exactly what we bring with launch leadership,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said.
Rocket Lab’s US Footprint
Rocket Lab has steadily expanded its role in supporting US national security and civil space missions through a series of government contracts.
In November 2025, the company conducted a suborbital mission using its HASTE launch vehicle for the US Defense Innovation Unit and the Missile Defense Agency, supporting the testing of hypersonic technologies under realistic flight conditions.
Earlier, in May 2025, the US Air Force Research Laboratory selected Rocket Lab’s reusable Neutron rocket to explore rocket-based cargo delivery under the Rocket Cargo program, which aims to rapidly transport military supplies anywhere in the world.
The company also joined the service’s $46-billion Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract in April 2025, supporting accelerated development of advanced technologies, including hypersonic weapons.
