Viasat picks Rocket Lab to build small GEO satellite for Space Force
Viasat · Rocket Lab
Viasat picked Rocket Lab to build the satellite bus for its Space Force PTS-G anti-jam GEO satellite.
what happened
Viasat selected Rocket Lab to build a GEO configuration of its Lightning spacecraft bus to host Viasat's dual-band X/Ka-band anti-jam payload under the Space Force's Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global (PTS-G) program, the companies said Aug. 17, per Via Satellite and SatNews. The award follows Viasat's May 22 PTS-G Swarm 1 production order, one of two delivery orders issued alongside SES's Intelsat General; Rocket Lab's scope covers manufacturing, integration, payload hosting, launch support and on-orbit checkout of the mini-GEO platform, plus five years of operations and sustainment, with satellite assembly at Rocket Lab's Long Beach, California facility. Neither company disclosed the value of Rocket Lab's portion; the overall PTS-G program runs under a $4 billion IDIQ ceiling, per SatNews.
why it matters
PTS-G is the Space Force's push to field smaller, maneuverable, jam-resistant GEO satcom satellites instead of large single-purpose birds, and the win extends Rocket Lab's Lightning bus business, already used for SDA and Globalstar work, into GEO defense satcom alongside SES. For Viasat, subcontracting the bus lets the company focus on its payload and operations expertise rather than spacecraft manufacturing.
for who
Defense satcom program managers and GEO bus manufacturers
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Viasat, Rocket Lab
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-08-17
- Published
- 2026-08-19 05:32 UTC