Rocket Lab Awarded $816M Contract for SDA Satellite Constellation

Rocket Lab Corporation has been awarded a significant prime contract by the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) valued at $816 million to design, manufacture, and provide operations for 18 satellites. These satellites are part of the Tracking Layer Tranche 3 program under the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture and will be equipped with advanced sensors for missile warning and tracking, including hypersonic systems. The contract includes a base amount of $806 million and options totaling $10 million. Rocket Lab will utilize its vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities and its proven Lightning platform for the production. The company will also supply subsystems like payloads and solar solutions to other prime contractors, potentially increasing the total contract value to approximately $1 billion. This award, in addition to a previous $515 million contract for SDA's Transport Layer-Beta Tranche 2 program, highlights Rocket Lab's growing role as a prime contractor in national security space.