RKLB - Rocket Lab Awarded Record $266M Missile Defense Contract with U.S. Space Force for Suborbital Launches

This landmark contract further solidifies Rocket Lab’s position as a leader in launch and critical mission enabler for programs with significant national importance. Under the contract awarded by the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP), Rocket Lab will execute 12 suborbital launches, with up to six additional launches. The first launch of this contract is expected to take place no earlier than the end of 2026. The launches will primarily take place from a new Rocket Lab location at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska (PSCA) in Kodiak, Alaska, complementing Rocket Lab’s existing launch sites at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, and Launch Complex 2 and Launch Complex 3 in Virginia. Sir Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, says: "Cadence, iteration, and relentless execution are essential to maturing America’s missile defense capabilities, and that’s exactly what we bring with launch leadership. The size and scale of this contract reflects the Space Force’s confidence in our ability to meet their urgent national security demands with speed, responsiveness, and scale, and we’re proud to provide the high-frequency launch capacity required to keep the U.S. ahead of global threats."