Rocket Lab wins $397 million Space Force contract for AMTI Flatellites
Rocket Lab · STR
Rocket Lab and STR split $615 million to build airborne-target-tracking satellites for the Space Force's SB-AMTI program.
what happened
The Space Force awarded Rocket Lab, STR, and a third, unidentified vendor a combined $615 million under the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI) program, per SpaceNews and Rocket Lab's own release. Rocket Lab's share is $397 million to develop, launch on its upcoming Neutron rocket, and operate 'Flatellites,' flat satellites carrying sensors and low-latency, high-bandwidth links designed to detect, track, and maintain custody of airborne threats including fighter aircraft, bombers, cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons. Col. Ryan Frazier, acting Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for Space-Based Sensing and Targeting, said the task order is meant to diversify the program's technical approaches rather than rely on a single vendor.
why it matters
This is Rocket Lab's second major SB-AMTI-adjacent award and confirms the Space Force is running a multi-vendor pool for airborne-target tracking rather than a single-supplier build, giving Rocket Lab a second large defense revenue line (alongside HASTE and its Neutron launch business) ahead of Neutron's first flight and giving other satellite manufacturers a template for competing into the same program.
for who
Defense satellite manufacturers, Space Force contractors, Neutron launch customers
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Rocket Lab, STR
- Category
- procurement
- Impact
- major
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-08-04
- Published
- 2026-08-05 05:41 UTC