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// DOSSIER — space-force-rocket-lab-suborbital-launches-alaska
Space Force Awards Rocket Lab Record $266 Million Contract for Suborbital Launches in Alaska
REL_TIME: 28 Jul 2026 06:42Z · LANG: EN
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Rocket Lab a record $266 million contract for up to 18 suborbital missions through 2028, primarily launching from a new site at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska in Kodiak. The firm-fixed-price contract, funded with $112 million in FY2025 RDT&E funds at award, will utilize Rocket Lab's HASTE hypersonic test vehicle to support missile defense and hypersonic testing. This deal represents Rocket Lab's largest launch contract to date and aligns with the Pentagon's broader strategy to leverage commercial spaceports to ease strain on military ranges and accelerate hypersonic flight-test data collection.
// Background
The contract utilizes Rocket Lab's HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) platform, which modifies the standard Electron rocket by replacing the upper stage with a tunable Kick Stage capable of deploying payloads up to 700 kg at speeds exceeding Mach 20. Kodiak, Alaska's Pacific Spaceport Complex provides an ideal, unobstructed high-latitude launch window for polar and high-inclination trajectories, which are operationally necessary for realistic missile defense and hypersonic testing. This procurement occurs alongside the Space Force's expansion of its NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 contract from $5.6 billion to $17 billion, reflecting a massive surge in national security launch demand.
// Key Developments
- Rocket Lab secured a $266 million contract for 12 guaranteed suborbital launches with options for 6 more through 2028.
- Launches will primarily occur from Kodiak, Alaska, establishing Rocket Lab's fourth global launch site.
- The missions will utilize the HASTE vehicle, an Electron-derived rocket optimized for suborbital hypersonic testing up to Mach 20.
- The contract is independent of Rocket Lab's upcoming Neutron rocket development, securing immediate near-term revenue.
- The Space Force is utilizing commercial spaceports in Alaska, Virginia, and Texas to offload smaller launches and prioritize heavy-lift missions at military ranges.
// Timeline
-
The US Missile Defense Agency and Israel's Missile Defense Organization conduct Arrow 3 interceptor tests at Kodiak.
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Rocket Lab's HASTE rocket makes its operational debut.
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HASTE conducts a successful mission for the Defense Innovation Unit and Missile Defense Agency.
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Space Development Agency awards Rocket Lab an $816 million contract for Tracking Layer Tranche 3 satellites.
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A Rocket Lab Neutron first-stage propellant tank fails hydrostatic pressure testing.
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Rocket Lab launches the 'That's Not A Knife' HASTE mission carrying the Hypersonix DART AE scramjet demonstrator.
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Rocket Lab receives a $190 million order for 20 HASTE launches under the MACH-TB 2.0 program.
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Anduril Industries selects HASTE for hypersonic test flights, and Rocket Lab is selected for the Space-Based Interceptor program.
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The Space Force expands its NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 contract capacity to $17 billion.
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The Space Force officially awards the $266 million suborbital launch contract to Rocket Lab.
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Rocket Lab publicly confirms and announces the $266 million contract.
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The first launch under the new Space Force contract is scheduled to take place no earlier than this timeframe.
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The contract's scheduled completion date.
// Perspectives
[Rocket Lab]
Highly optimistic, viewing the contract as validation of their high-frequency launch capacity and an opportunity to expand their global launch network to Alaska for unique high-inclination trajectories.
[U.S. Space Force / Department of Defense]
Strategic and supportive, aiming to leverage commercial launch cadence and alternative spaceports to relieve pressure on busy military ranges and rapidly accumulate critical hypersonic flight-test data.
// Quotes
“The size and scale of this contract reflects the Space Force’s confidence in our ability to meet their urgent national security demands with speed, responsiveness, and scale, and we’re proud to provide the high-frequency launch capacity required to keep the U.S. ahead of global threats.”
“Accessing the commercial and non-traditional ecosystem is a key enabler to accelerating progress in the hypersonics community of interest, particularly for closing mission timelines and driving towards mass and affordability”
