Rocket Lab wins $266 million US Space Force missile‑defense launch contract

Rocket Lab Corporation has been awarded a $266 million contract by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to conduct up to 18 suborbital launches supporting missile‑defense development. The agreement includes an initial 12 launches with the option for six additional missions, and it is the largest launch contract in the company’s history. The first launch is slated for no earlier than the end of 2026.

Most of the flights will operate from the newly established Pacific Spaceport Complex‑Alaska in Kodiak, supplementing Rocket Lab’s existing sites at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and Launch Complexes 2 and 3 in Virginia. Founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said the contract reflects the Space Force’s confidence in Rocket Lab’s ability to deliver rapid, high‑frequency launch capability for national‑security needs.