Rocket Lab wins key role in Space Force satellite
Rocket Lab has been selected by Viasat to build the spacecraft bus for a new U. S. Space Force anti-jamming communications satellite, strengthening the company’s position as a supplier of complete spacecraft for national security missions.
The spacecraft will use Rocket Lab’s Lightning-GEO platform and carry a Viasat dual-band X/Ka-band communications payload. It forms part of the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global programme, or PTS-G, which is designed to provide secure communications to U. S. and allied forces when hostile electronic warfare threatens conventional satellite links.
Viasat is the prime contractor for the satellite and will oversee the overall system, payload, ground infrastructure and operational support. The company was selected by Space Systems Command for one of the first operational spacecraft under the programme’s Swarm 1 phase. The Space Force awarded Viasat and Intelsat contracts totalling $437.7 million for the first two operational PTS-G satellites.
Rocket Lab’s role moves the company further beyond its origins as a small-launch provider. It will supply a geosynchronous version of Lightning incorporating internally produced subsystems including tracking, telemetry and command radios, solar-power equipment, star trackers, reaction wheels and flight and ground software.
The configuration reflects Rocket Lab’s strategy of controlling a growing proportion of spacecraft production rather than supplying isolated components. Vertical integration gives the company greater control over schedules, costs and hardware compatibility, an increasingly important consideration as defence agencies push contractors to shorten satellite development cycles.
The PTS-G spacecraft are intended to be smaller and more manoeuvrable than traditional military satellites operating in geosynchronous orbit. Rather than relying on a limited number of large spacecraft, the Space Force wants a more distributed communications architecture that can respond more rapidly to operational demands and remain effective during attempts to disrupt satellite links.
Anti-jamming has become a central requirement as military forces increasingly depend on satellite communications for command, intelligence and battlefield coordination. PTS-G will use the Protected Tactical Waveform alongside other waveforms to maintain connectivity in contested environments, while its X-band and military Ka-band payloads will support existing users as newer protected terminals and systems are introduced.
Viasat’s spacecraft architecture draws on technology developed for its commercial ViaSat-3 programme, illustrating the Space Force’s wider effort to adapt commercial satellite designs for military missions. The approach is intended to reduce development costs and accelerate deployment compared with traditional programmes built almost entirely around specialised government hardware.
The Swarm 1 order covers spacecraft manufacturing, integration and testing, launch and on-orbit checkout. Viasat’s award also includes five years of operations and sustainment, covering tracking, telemetry and command, network operations and cybersecurity. Initial operating capability for the wider programme is targeted no earlier than 2029, while the first Swarm 1 spacecraft have been expected to begin launching from 2028.
For Rocket Lab, the Viasat selection adds another major defence spacecraft programme to a portfolio that has expanded rapidly from launch services into satellite manufacturing, components and mission systems. Its spacecraft operations now encompass buses, solar systems, reaction wheels, radios, flight software and other technologies that can be combined into integrated platforms.
Lightning is designed for missions requiring comparatively high power and substantial payload capacity. A GEO adaptation expands its potential market beyond lower-orbit constellations and demonstrates Rocket Lab’s intention to compete for spacecraft that traditionally have been supplied by larger aerospace contractors.
The PTS-G programme itself has a contract ceiling of up to $4 billion across participating companies. Five contractors — Viasat, Intelsat, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Astranis — were initially chosen to develop competing concepts before the programme moved towards operational spacecraft procurement.
Competition is expected to remain central as the Space Force builds the constellation in successive groups rather than relying on a single spacecraft manufacturer. That approach gives the service scope to introduce new technologies more quickly, spread production among suppliers and avoid dependence on one satellite design.
The spacecraft will use Rocket Lab’s Lightning-GEO platform and carry a Viasat dual-band X/Ka-band communications payload. It forms part of the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global programme, or PTS-G, which is designed to provide secure communications to U. S. and allied forces when hostile electronic warfare threatens conventional satellite links.
Viasat is the prime contractor for the satellite and will oversee the overall system, payload, ground infrastructure and operational support. The company was selected by Space Systems Command for one of the first operational spacecraft under the programme’s Swarm 1 phase. The Space Force awarded Viasat and Intelsat contracts totalling $437.7 million for the first two operational PTS-G satellites.
Rocket Lab’s role moves the company further beyond its origins as a small-launch provider. It will supply a geosynchronous version of Lightning incorporating internally produced subsystems including tracking, telemetry and command radios, solar-power equipment, star trackers, reaction wheels and flight and ground software.
The configuration reflects Rocket Lab’s strategy of controlling a growing proportion of spacecraft production rather than supplying isolated components. Vertical integration gives the company greater control over schedules, costs and hardware compatibility, an increasingly important consideration as defence agencies push contractors to shorten satellite development cycles.
The PTS-G spacecraft are intended to be smaller and more manoeuvrable than traditional military satellites operating in geosynchronous orbit. Rather than relying on a limited number of large spacecraft, the Space Force wants a more distributed communications architecture that can respond more rapidly to operational demands and remain effective during attempts to disrupt satellite links.
Anti-jamming has become a central requirement as military forces increasingly depend on satellite communications for command, intelligence and battlefield coordination. PTS-G will use the Protected Tactical Waveform alongside other waveforms to maintain connectivity in contested environments, while its X-band and military Ka-band payloads will support existing users as newer protected terminals and systems are introduced.
Viasat’s spacecraft architecture draws on technology developed for its commercial ViaSat-3 programme, illustrating the Space Force’s wider effort to adapt commercial satellite designs for military missions. The approach is intended to reduce development costs and accelerate deployment compared with traditional programmes built almost entirely around specialised government hardware.
The Swarm 1 order covers spacecraft manufacturing, integration and testing, launch and on-orbit checkout. Viasat’s award also includes five years of operations and sustainment, covering tracking, telemetry and command, network operations and cybersecurity. Initial operating capability for the wider programme is targeted no earlier than 2029, while the first Swarm 1 spacecraft have been expected to begin launching from 2028.
For Rocket Lab, the Viasat selection adds another major defence spacecraft programme to a portfolio that has expanded rapidly from launch services into satellite manufacturing, components and mission systems. Its spacecraft operations now encompass buses, solar systems, reaction wheels, radios, flight software and other technologies that can be combined into integrated platforms.
Lightning is designed for missions requiring comparatively high power and substantial payload capacity. A GEO adaptation expands its potential market beyond lower-orbit constellations and demonstrates Rocket Lab’s intention to compete for spacecraft that traditionally have been supplied by larger aerospace contractors.
The PTS-G programme itself has a contract ceiling of up to $4 billion across participating companies. Five contractors — Viasat, Intelsat, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Astranis — were initially chosen to develop competing concepts before the programme moved towards operational spacecraft procurement.
Competition is expected to remain central as the Space Force builds the constellation in successive groups rather than relying on a single spacecraft manufacturer. That approach gives the service scope to introduce new technologies more quickly, spread production among suppliers and avoid dependence on one satellite design.