Rocket Lab Lands $397 Million Space Force Deal to Build and Fly SB-AMTI "Flatellites"

Rocket Lab has won a $397 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to build and launch satellites for the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program, known as SB-AMTI. The award, reported August 5, 2026, marks a significant step in the company's move from small launch provider into a full-spectrum space systems company.

SB-AMTI is designed to track airborne targets from orbit. The program forms part of a broader Space Force push to give the U.S. military persistent overhead tracking of aircraft and missiles from low Earth orbit, a capability that would have been unthinkable on small satellites a decade ago.

Rocket Lab was one of three vendors awarded contracts in a total $615 million round for the second batch of SB-AMTI satellites. A company called STR also received a contract in the same round. The third vendor was not publicly identified. The satellites are referred to as "Flatellites."

The $397 million award represents the largest single share of the $615 million round. The program's focus on tracking airborne moving targets places it within the Space Force's effort to establish continuous overhead surveillance from low Earth orbit.

For Rocket Lab, the contract underscores the company's transformation from a small launch specialist into a broader space systems provider capable of building and launching defense satellites. The SB-AMTI capability, delivering persistent tracking of aircraft and missiles from orbit, marks a shift in what small satellites can now deliver for the U.S. military.

The unnamed third vendor is worth following closely. Its inclusion in the award could signal a new entrant gaining Pentagon trust in the defense satellite market.