Rocket Lab to build 18 US missile-tracking satellites in $816m deal

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck. (Image: Supplied)

Mon, 22 Dec 2025

New Zealand–founded space company Rocket Lab has landed its largest contract to date, winning an $816 million deal to build a new generation of missile-tracking satellites.Rocket Lab will design and manufacture 18 satellites for the US Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 programme, part of the US military’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said the satellites will help detect and track advanced missile threats, including hypersonic weapons.“Rocket Lab is...

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