Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. 20 Dec, 2025 12:31 AM 2 mins to readRocket Lab to build 18 US missile-tracking satellites in $816m dealNew Zealand–founded space company Rocket Lab has landed its largest contract to date, winning an $816 million deal to build a new generation of missile-tracking satellites. Rocket Lab will design and manufacture 18 satellites for the US Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 programme, part of the US military’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said the satellites will help detect and track advanced missile threats, including hypersonic weapons. “Rocket Lab is honoured to play a role in enabling this.”The contract includes a base award of $806m, with a further $10.45m available through options.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 20, 2025 03:58 UTC