Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ: RKLB) has secured its largest-ever launch contract, a $266 million deal with the U.S. Space Force to conduct suborbital missile defense testing missions.
The contract covers 12 guaranteed suborbital launches designed to replicate ballistic missile, hypersonic glide vehicle, and reentry vehicle flight profiles for missile defense evaluation purposes.
Six additional optional flights are also included in the agreement, with all missions expected to be completed through 2028.
Most launches will originate from a new Rocket Lab facility at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, with the first mission targeted no earlier than late 2026.
The test data generated from the campaign is expected to support not only the Space Force but also the Missile Defense Agency, Pentagon laboratories, and other branches of the U.S. armed forces.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck framed the award as a validation of the company’s operational tempo and execution capabilities in the defense sector.
“Cadence, iteration, and relentless execution are essential to maturing America’s missile defense capabilities, and that’s exactly what we bring with launch leadership,” Beck said.
The contract, also known as MACH-TB 2.0 Task Area 1, positions Rocket Lab firmly within the competitive landscape of U.S. defense contracting, expanding well beyond its commercial launch origins.
The award builds on a growing string of major military contracts for the company, which previously secured an $816 million deal to build 18 missile warning satellites for the Space Force, as well as a separate $515 million missile defense satellite contract.
In November 2025, Rocket Lab conducted a suborbital mission using its HASTE launch vehicle for the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit and the Missile Defense Agency, testing hypersonic technologies under realistic flight conditions.
Earlier in May 2025, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory selected Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket to explore rocket-based cargo delivery under the Rocket Cargo program, aimed at rapid military supply transport anywhere in the world.
The HASTE missions are widely seen as part of broader U.S. efforts to develop and validate defenses against advanced Russian and Chinese hypersonic weapons systems currently in development.
Analysts and investors are taking note of what appears to be a structural shift in Rocket Lab’s business model, with the company increasingly resembling a full-spectrum defense contractor rather than a pure-play launch provider.
With future military orders now potentially approaching double prior levels, the trajectory of Rocket Lab’s defense revenue stream is drawing significant attention from the investment community.
