The contract was awarded by Space Systems Command’s Rocket Systems Launch Program, or RSLP. It includes 12 launches, with provisions for up to six additional missions.
The first launch is expected no earlier than the end of 2026. Rocket Lab said the missions will provide the high-frequency launch capacity required to support the development of U.S. missile defense capabilities.
The award places Rocket Lab in a larger role supporting a national security mission that requires repeated suborbital launches. The company said launch cadence and rapid iteration are central to maturing U.S. missile defense capabilities.
“Cadence, iteration, and relentless execution are essential to maturing America’s missile defense capabilities, and that’s exactly what we bring with launch leadership,” said Sir Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab.
“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.”
Most launches will take place from a new Rocket Lab location at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska in Kodiak. The Alaska site will support the company’s expanded role in U.S. national security launch operations.
The new location will complement Rocket Lab’s existing launch infrastructure. The company currently operates Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and Launch Complex 2 and Launch Complex 3 in Virginia.
The $266 million contract gives Rocket Lab a multi-launch role in U.S. Space Force missile defense activity. It also adds a new U.S. launch location as the company prepares to support repeated suborbital missions from late 2026.
