The contract, awarded by the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command, will see Rocket Lab design, manufacture, integrate and operate two geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites equipped with the Heimdall space domain awareness payload.
The deal marks Rocket Lab’s first dedicated satellite production program for geostationary orbit, expanding the company’s vertically integrated mission model beyond low-Earth orbit and into one of the most strategically important orbital regions for military and communications infrastructure.
Under the agreement, Rocket Lab will act as prime contractor and end-to-end mission provider, overseeing spacecraft development, payload integration, launch preparation and on-orbit operations for up to five years after the satellites enter service.
The satellites will carry the Heimdall optical payload, developed internally by Rocket Lab Optical Systems, the business created following Rocket Lab’s acquisition of GEOST in 2025.
Designed for space domain awareness missions, the Heimdall system is intended to improve the US Space Force’s ability to monitor and track objects operating within the crowded geostationary belt, a critical orbital zone used for military communications, missile warning, intelligence and commercial satellite services.
The two spacecraft will be based on Rocket Lab’s Lightning satellite bus, modified to meet the demanding thermal, propulsion, radiation and station-keeping requirements associated with long-duration GEO operations.
The Lightning platform is already being produced for several US national security programs, including the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta and Tranche 3 Tracking Layer constellations, as well as a range of commercial satellite systems.
Rocket Lab said the GEO adaptation would leverage existing production lines and supply chain efficiencies while extending the operational capability of the platform into higher orbits.
The contract also builds on an earlier prototype development effort initiated under the Space Systems Command, where two Heimdall payloads were originally developed as low-cost electro-optical sensors intended to be hosted aboard satellites operating in geosynchronous orbit.
That initial phase focused on demonstrating the viability of distributed optical sensing systems to augment the Space Force’s ability to maintain persistent awareness of activity in the GEO belt.
The new contract transitions the project from prototype development into full operational spacecraft delivery.
Rocket Lab will carry out spacecraft assembly, integration and testing at its spacecraft production facility in Long Beach, California, while mission operations will be conducted through the company’s existing operational infrastructure following launch.
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