Rocket Lab Backs Two New Launch Pads at Alaska's Pacific Spaceport Complex

Rocket Lab is behind the refurbishment and construction of two new launch pads in Alaska, funded by $22 million from the US federal government. The investment will upgrade a facility that is three decades old and expand the company's launch infrastructure footprint.

The work centers on the Pacific Spaceport Complex at Kodiak Island, south-west of Anchorage. The Complex opened in 1998 and has hosted more than 30 launches. The federal funding will improve the existing 30-year-old facility while adding dedicated capacity for Rocket Lab's use.

Alaska Aerospace CEO John Oberst said the first new launch pad at Kodiak, partly for Rocket Lab's use, is expected to be completed by January 2027. The second Alaska pad will break ground soon, Oberst said. Together, the two sites will be the fourth and fifth pads for the company, which is based in New Zealand and California.

Rocket Lab has already secured a $266 million US Air Force contract supporting missile defense testing. Dedicated launch infrastructure in Alaska gives the company additional capacity to execute those missions while continuing its regular Electron launch business and the development of its Neutron reusable rocket.

The Alaska pads expand Rocket Lab's launch site geography and signal continued investment in capacity as the company pursues its existing contracts alongside its ongoing rocket programs.

The first new pad is expected to be completed by January 2027, with construction on the second to begin soon.