Rocket Lab has unveiled GHOST, a globally deployable launch system designed to transform its Electron and HASTE rockets into a rapidly deployable launch capability for time-critical space and national security missions.
The GHOST system – short for Global Hypersonic & Orbital Spaceport Technology – packages the rocket, launch infrastructure, ground support equipment and range-control systems inside standard shipping containers, allowing the complete launch architecture to be transported and established at new locations.
Rocket Lab said the system is designed to support both orbital and sub-orbital missions, with a particular focus on responsive launch requirements, sovereign space access and national security.
GHOST’s first operational location will be established at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, where Rocket Lab plans to build two launch pads under the new Rocket Lab Launch Complex 4.
The Alaskan facility will complement Rocket Lab’s existing launch infrastructure at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and Launch Complexes 2 and 3 in Virginia.
Once the two GHOST pads are established, Rocket Lab will operate six launch pads across two hemispheres, providing additional geographic flexibility and capacity for responsive missions.
The system is scheduled to make its operational debut with a sub-orbital launch from Alaska in 2027.
A key feature of GHOST is its common infrastructure for Electron and HASTE, Rocket Lab’s hypersonic test vehicle. The shared architecture allows the company to deploy both orbital and sub-orbital launch capabilities to new locations without requiring entirely separate ground infrastructure.
Rocket Lab said this could enable multi-launch campaigns, rapid activation of new launch sites and simultaneous launch operations while providing additional options for missions requiring specific trajectories.
The company is positioning GHOST particularly strongly towards defence applications, including missile defence and deterrence, where the ability to rapidly deploy test or operational capabilities can provide an important advantage.
The system could also support allied nations seeking greater sovereign access to space without the time and infrastructure requirements traditionally associated with establishing a permanent launch complex.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said the system builds on the company’s experience supporting national security and missile-defence missions.
“Creating GHOST is about packaging that up into a deployable system that can serve the world’s most important programs from wherever those missions need.”
Beck said the system could support missions ranging from missile defence and deterrence to orbital operations and sovereign launch capabilities for allied nations.
The development comes as governments increasingly seek resilient and geographically distributed access to space, particularly as military planners place greater emphasis on the ability to rapidly replace, augment or reposition space-based capabilities following disruption.
Rocket Lab has already established a significant position in the responsive-space market, including through its Electron launch vehicle and HASTE sub-orbital platform.
The company recently demonstrated the potential of rapid-response launch operations when it launched the US Space Force’s Victus Haze mission just 16 hours and 42 minutes after receiving a notice to launch.
GHOST represents the next step in that approach, shifting responsive launch from a capability tied to established launch sites towards a potentially expeditionary model.
For defence customers, the ability to establish launch infrastructure closer to an operational theatre could provide greater flexibility over launch trajectories and reduce dependence on a small number of fixed launch facilities.
Rocket Lab’s approach also reflects the broader evolution of space infrastructure towards more distributed and resilient architectures, where launch capacity itself becomes a manoeuvrable and potentially deployable component of national space power.
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