Rocket Lab awarded $90M contract to build GEO satellites
Award marks Rocket Lab's first satellite production program for geostationary orbit and continues a Space Systems Command program for development and delivery on orbit of two Heimdall prototype payloads by Rocket Lab Optical Systems.
Rocket Lab Corporation, a US-based launch and space systems company, has announced it has been awarded a USD 90 million contract by the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) to design, manufacture, integrate and operate two geostationary (GEO) satellites hosting the Heimdall space domain awareness (SDA) payload.
The award represents Rocket Lab’s first satellite production program for geostationary orbit and extends the company’s vertically integrated mission model into a new orbital regime, the company said.
Rocket Lab will serve as prime contractor and end-to-end mission provider, responsible for spacecraft design and manufacture, integration of the in-house Heimdall optical payload produced by Rocket Lab Optical Systems, launch integration onto a government-furnished launch vehicle, and on-orbit operations for up to five years following commissioning.
The two satellites will be built on Rocket Lab’s Lightning bus, adapted for the thermal, radiation, propulsion, and station-keeping demands of GEO. Lightning is currently in production across multiple national security programs, including SDA’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta (T2TL-Beta) and Tranche 3 Tracking Layer (T3TRK), as well as commercial constellations. The GEO configuration extends that production heritage while preserving the manufacturing efficiencies and supply chain advantages of Rocket Lab’s vertically integrated approach.
“The contract builds on the success of a Space Systems Command program that began with the prototype development of two Heimdall space-based payloads originally awarded to GEOST, which Rocket Lab acquired in 2025 and integrated as Rocket Lab Optical Systems,” the company said.
The prototype phase developed two Heimdall payloads as small, low-cost electro-optical sensors designed to be hosted on satellites in geosynchronous orbit, augmenting the Space Force’s ability to maintain custody of objects in the GEO belt. The new USD 90 million award transitions the program from payload prototyping to operational space vehicle delivery.
