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Rocket Lab on-ramped to multi-billion$ U.S. + U.K. defense contracts for hypersonic HASTE

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has been selected to provide hypersonic test launch capability via the company’s HASTE launch vehicle, engineering expertise, and other services through its participation in two, multi-billion dollar government development programs for the United States and the United Kingdom.

Common launch platform, multiple mission profiles—from air-breathing and glide payloads to ballistic and future technologies, HASTE is a cost-effective and responsive hypersonic testbed that enables precision payload delivery for every mission.

Rocket Lab has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to participate within its Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC), a $46 billion, indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract designed for the rapid acquisition of innovative technologies, engineering services, and technical solutions that develops the Air Force’s new capabilities. The program has a contracting period through to 2031 and is designed to be broad in scope, flexible in funding, and agile for maximum use to enable the Air Force to quicky procure services and technologies across various domains.

Further, Rocket Lab has also been selected by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (UK MOD) for its Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF), a ~$1.3 billion (£1 billion) framework to rapidly develop advanced hypersonic capabilities for the United Kingdom. As a newly-selected supplier to the HTCDF, Rocket Lab is now eligible to bid to provide services, technologies, and testing capabilities that support the UK’s development of sovereign hypersonic technology.

Across both programs, Rocket Lab intends to bid for contracts and task orders served by its Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) launch vehicle, as well as other engineering, design, and launch services. A suborbital variant of Electron—the world’s most frequently launched small orbital rocket—HASTE includes much of the same innovative technology as Electron, including carbon fiber composite structures and 3D printed rocket engines, but has a modified upper Kick Stage tailored for hypersonic technology tests and a larger payload capacity of up to 700 kg / 1,540 lbs.

HASTE can deploy technologies at speeds of more than 7.5km per second to test air-breathing, glide, and ballistic payloads, as well as technologies to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere from space. Successful missions to date include three launches for the U.S. Department of Defense—including twice within just 21 days—from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 launch site located on Wallops Island, Virginia. Combined, Rocket Lab’s HASTE and Electron launch vehicles have deployed 200+ payloads from its United States and New Zealand launch sites to date.

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 within the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is the launch site for HASTE. HASTE launches from Wallops carry on the extensive tradition of launch from Virginia’s coast and stands ready to serve the current and future technology needs of hypersonic and suborbital test missions.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said, “The ability to contribute toward the collective security of the United States and the United Kingdom across both of these important programs is a proud moment for the HASTE team, and a demonstration of Rocket Lab’s commitment to lead from the front when it comes to innovative and unique solutions for hypersonic technology development. Keeping pace with global developments means more affordable tests at a higher rate that expands the boundaries of hypersonic technology – and that’s a capability we’re already providing all in one platform with HASTE, at a commercial price and cadence that serves the mission of both nations.”

SpaceX sends NROL-192 spy satellites on Saturday on secret mission + two more NROL launches this week

On Saturday, April 12 at 5:25 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched the NROL-192 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Photos by Satnews.

This was the 24th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, Transporter-8, Transporter-9, NROL-146, Bandwagon-2, NROL-153 and 14 Starlink missions.

The two other NROL missions are:

  • April 16 NROL-174 from Vandenberg
  • April 19 NROL-145 from Vandenberg

SpaceX plans NROL-192 launch of spy satellites on secret mission this Saturday

SpaceX is targeting Saturday, April 12 for a Falcon 9 launch of the NROL-192 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 5:25 a.m. PT. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Sunday, April 13 starting at 5:09 a.m. PT.

The mission payload contains a batch of spy satellites that will join up with a proliferated architecture constellation constructed by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office.

The satellite constellation, once completed, will deliver space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems designed to be responsive to future national security challenges, according to NRO officials.

No sonic boom is expected to be heard locally.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX.

This is the 24th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, Transporter-8, Transporter-9, NROL-146, Bandwagon-2, NROL-153, and 14 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Northrop Grumman achieves 1st undocking between 2 commercial spacecraft in GEO

A Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Space Logistics LLC has successfully undocked with Intelsat’s IS-901 satellite, completing its life extension service—this marks the first undocking between two commercial spacecraft in the geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) graveyard.

MEV-1 has provided five years of life-extension services to IS-901, allowing Intelsat to operate this space-based asset beyond its design life.

In 2020, MEV-1 successfully proved docking with IS-901 was possible in the GEO graveyard orbit and brought IS-901 back into operation in GEO. Now that life-extension services are complete, MEV-1 released the IS-901 satellite back into the GEO graveyard and is relocating to the next servicing mission.

Northrop Grumman is currently the only proven provider of life-extension services for satellites in GEO—redefining the boundaries of resiliency, flexibility and capabilities across government, commercial and national security customers.

MEV-1 performed the first-ever, on-orbit commercial spacecraft docking with IS-901 in the graveyard orbit before reducing the satellite’s inclination and bringing it back into operation in GEO in 2020. Since the technology was successfully proven in graveyard orbit with MEV-1, MEV-2 docked with Intelsat’s IS-10-02 directly in GEO in 2021 with no reported disruption in service during the docking.

Northrop Grumman’s Space Logistics has provided reliable service to the satellite operator for MEV-1’s entire mission. MEV-2 will remain docked to Intelsat 10-02, providing life-extension for an additional four years – nearly doubling service from the original extension contract.

Rob Hauge, president, Space Logistics, said, “The first-of-its kind technology that extended a satellite’s life is paving the way for an entire infrastructure of future on-orbit satellite servicing missions for a variety of customers. We are continuing to invest in next-generation capabilities to deliver the most technologically advanced servicing capabilities to support and maintain new and existing space-based assets.”

About Northrop Grumman Space Logistics
Northrop Grumman’s Space Logistics provides on-orbit satellite servicing to GEO satellite operators using its MEVs, which dock with customers’ existing satellites to provide propulsion and attitude control needed to extend satellite service lives. Starting next year, Space Logistics next-generation systems will be able to provide expanded satellite services including on-orbit repairs, upgrades, refueling, debris removal, assembly and manufacturing.

Cobham Satcom announces acquisition by Solix Group to accelerate growth

Cobham Group has signed an agreement to sell Cobham Satcom to Solix Group, a leading investment company.

Cobham Satcom enables secure SATCOM in remote locations across land and sea. The company is uniquely positioned to leverage growth opportunities, particularly within the global government, defense, and maritime industries.

With new, strong ownership that brings valuable experience from other investments in the maritime and government markets, Cobham Satcom expects to continue and fast-track its growth strategy in the coming years.

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed within the calendar year, once these approvals have been obtained.

This transaction will enable us to accelerate our strategy and continue to develop and deliver best-in-class connectivity and safety solutions to our global customer segments,” said Christophe Duret, CEO of Cobham Satcom. “Our capabilities and technology leadership within the maritime industry have been well established and recognized since the 1950s. In recent years, we have also demonstrated our ability to apply these competencies to develop new, critical market-leading SATCOM solutions for government and defense customers.”

U.S. Space Force Field Commands announce accelerated GPS III mission

U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) and Space Operations Command (SpOC) announce the expected launch of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) GPS III-7 mission, Space Vehicle 08 (SV-08), with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, no earlier than the end of May, 2025.

Following the successful Rapid Response Trailblazer launch in December of 2024, the two field commands are executing another accelerated mission. The accelerated mission involves a complex integration of effort across multiple Space Force organizations to retrieve a Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite from storage, expedite integration with a launch vehicle, and prepare it for launch on an accelerated timeline.

The GPS III satellite, equipped with M-Code technology, provides the warfighter with a capability that is three-times more accurate, and eight-times more resistant to jamming. This effort ensures rapid delivery of modernized Precision, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) capabilities to the Joint Force.

Artistic rendition of a GPS III satellite on-orbit, courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

This mission builds on lessons learned from the previous RRT and showcases the Space Force’s ability to significantly reduce launch preparation timelines. Typically, launch preparation takes up to 24 months; however, in this case, the Space Force is demonstrating its ability to complete the process within three months.

SpOC’s Mission Delta 31 is leading the pre-launch processing of the space vehicle, closely coordinating with Lockheed Martin in Colorado to expedite shipment and prepare SV-08 for launch. SV-08 was successfully delivered to Florida on a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III on April 2, 2025, where it will begin processing in preparation for launch.

Key enablers for this mission span multiple disciplines and organizations, addressing challenges such as space vehicle-to-launch vehicle integration, satellite control preparation, and rapid contracting and procurement actions.

Nicknamed in honor of Ms. Creola Katherine Johnson, the American mathematician whose groundbreaking calculations of orbital mechanics were instrumental to the success of early U.S. manned spaceflights, SV-08 will play a pivotal role in advancing critical communication capabilities. This enhancement aligns with the Secretary of Defense’s strategic objectives, bolstering the lethality and operational effectiveness of U.S. military forces. Its cutting-edge M-Code capability and superior anti-jamming technology are indispensable assets for national security and the readiness of Joint Forces operations.

This launch executes a launch vehicle trade of the GPS III-7 mission from Vulcan to a Falcon 9 rocket, and swaps a later GPS IIIF-1 mission from Falcon Heavy to Vulcan, showcasing our ability to launch in three months, compared to the typical 24 months,” said USSF Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel leader of Launch Execution for AATS. “It highlights another instance of the Space Force’s ability to complete high priority launches on a rapid timescale, which demonstrates the capability to respond to emergent constellation needs as rapidly as Space Vehicle readiness allows.” 

This mission represents an outstanding collaboration across multiple teams and agencies,” said U.S. Space Force Col. Andrew Menschner, MD 31 commander. “It highlights our ability to rapidly deploy an additional M-Code-capable satellite and continues to push the boundaries of traditional launch timelines.”

The launch and spacecraft teams are working diligently to execute this mission and demonstrate the resilience, communication, and teamwork required to overcome scheduling and technical challenges while maintaining mission success,” said Dr. Walt Lauderdale, Falcon Systems and Operations chief and Mission Director for this launch. “Building on the success of previous missions, we aim to further accelerate our ability to support current warfighter needs.”

Millennium Space Systems completes FOO Fighter CDR in 10 months

Screenshot

Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing [NYSE: BA] company, completed the Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (FOO Fighter) CDR in just 10 months after authorization to proceed with the project.

FOO Fighter will demonstrate advanced missile defense capability by incorporating fire control-quality sensors into a prototype constellation.

The successful completion of CDR marks the transition to the production phase of the program, which includes delivering a constellation of eight satellites with a ground system in 2026. Millennium will perform mission operations once on-orbit.

Meeting rapid timelines is essential to ensuring we deliver mission capabilities when needed,” said Doug Hulse, portfolio lead, Millennium Space Systems. “Completing the FOO Fighter critical design review in just 10 months highlights the efficiency and determination of our team. Our focus is always on providing the warfighter with the tools they need, and this achievement underscores our commitment to delivering mission requirements on time.”

We are thrilled to be working for the Space Development Agency to deliver the FOO Fighter Program and helping pave a new era in the industry, ” said Tony Gingiss, CEO, Millennium Space Systems. “This collaboration with L3 is a testament to what can be achieved when industry leaders come together to push the limits of what’s possible.” 

Russia to launch NASA’s American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts to ISS

The crew of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, which will launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station on April 8, 2025. From left to right: NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. (Image credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center)

On April 7 the Russian Federal Space Agency’s (ROSCOSMOS) Soyuz MS-27 will launch Soyuz 2.1a, at 10:47 PM PDT into low Earth orbit carrying two cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The crew consists of Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and NASA astronaut Jonathan “Jonny” Kim.

The launch is for human exploration and costs $80 million.

The forecast calls for a temperature of 59°F, broken clouds, 68% cloud cover and a wind speed of 9mph.

The site, 31/6, has witnessed the launch of 421 rockets, including 421 orbital launch attempts. While Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan, has been the site for 1554 rocket launches.

Firefly Aerospace awarded DoD contract for responsive on-orbit mission with Elytra spacecraft

Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a contract to perform a responsive on-orbit mission with the company’s Elytra spacecraft in support of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Sinequone Project.

Sinequone will demonstrate the commercial launch and delivery of payloads or space vehicles (SVs) to a predetermined orbit, or orbits in xGEO. DIU selected Firefly Aerospace under the Sinequone effort to deliver three to six SVs across one or more launches to orbit(s) in xGEO/cislunar space, with the goal of reducing the time to deliver for each subsequent mission.

During the DoD mission, Elytra will serve as a space maneuver vehicle to perform a series of responsive on-orbit tasks, including space domain awareness (SDA) operations in LEO—this mission is set to launch as early as 2027.

As part of the mission, Elytra will host a suite of government payloads, including optical visible and infrared cameras, a responsive navigation unit, and a universal electrical bus with a payload interface module. Firefly’s Elytra Dawn configuration will use common components from the company’s launch vehicles and lunar landers, including the avionics, composite structures, and propulsion systems, to enable on-demand mobility, plane changes, and maneuvers with high delta-V capabilities and reliability. Elytra’s main engine, called Spectre, was recently flight-proven on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander as the reaction control system thrusters that successfully performed Firefly’s final descent on the Moon on March 2.

The DoD contract supports the DIU’s Sinequone project that aims to deliver cost-effective, responsive access beyond Geosynchronous orbits, referred to as xGEO. This mission in LEO is the first step to enable future access and operations in xGEO on a responsive timeline. The award follows Firefly’s initial trade studies that were completed for the DIU in 2024.

As demand for responsive on-orbit services continues to grow, Firefly is expanding its spacecraft production capabilities and was recently awarded an $8.2 million grant from the Texas Space Commission to add additional spacecraft clean room space, test facilities, and infrastructure. This will allow Firefly to mass produce Elytra in higher quantities at a lower cost in support of long-haul communications relays, on-orbit payload hosting, maneuverability, and other responsive services across cislunar space.

Firefly has proven our ability to rapidly and reliably launch, land, and operate in space as we continue to execute bold missions from LEO to lunar orbit and beyond,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “This national security mission will further demonstrate our ability to perform responsive on-orbit tasks when and where our customers need them with our highly maneuverable Elytra orbital vehicle. To achieve this, we equipped Elytra with many of the same flight-proven systems Firefly utilized to successfully land on the Moon after traveling 2.8 million miles across cislunar space.”

About Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace is an end-to-end responsive space company with launch, lunar, and on-orbit services. Headquartered in central Texas, Firefly is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners (“AEI”) focused on delivering rapid, reliable, and affordable space access for government and commercial customers. Firefly’s small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide the space industry with a single source for missions from low Earth orbit to the surface of the Moon and beyond.

Aitech unveils world’s 1st AI-enabled Picosatellite constellation platform

Aitech has introduced the picosatellite (PicoSat) constellation platform, IQSat™. The IQSat is AI-enabled and includes Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI) ML) from Intuidex, Inc. incorporated in Intuidex’s Watchman for Space™ (W4S™) product for detecting and providing insight on patterns and anomalies for a range of applications, including public safety, agriculture, military, defense, climate, biology and more.

Built on Aitech’s 30 years of electronics legacy and trillions of miles flown in space, the IQSat is small enough to be held in the palm of a hand and can be deployed in a constellation of five to thousands. Offering coverage previously unattainable, IQSat is powerful enough to deliver actionable pattern of life analysis, rapidly and frequently, from any desired point on Earth.

Leveraging Intuidex’s Watchman for Space product, the IQSat offers Higher-Order Low-Resource Learning™ (HO-LRL™) in support of rapid do-it-yourself user-based modeling, detection and tracking, pattern of life and anomaly detection, and constellation operations capabilities that enable new uses across a range of markets:

Military and Defense: With a low probability of intercept and low probability of detection, IQSat can deliver critical information on threat locations, directions and velocities in any area of interest at tactically significant update rates directly to the warfighter

Space Situational Awareness: With flexible sensor options and constellation configurations, IQSat brings low-cost capability to detect space debris to prevent space collisions and monitor orbital traffic, as well as detect changes in satellite trajectories or potential anti-satellite threats

Space Habitat: Placed in the vicinity of Space Habitats, IQSat can deliver temperature, radiation levels and other data variables to evaluate structure integrity by detecting micro-meteorite impacts and material degradation or external surveillance to detect space debris collision threats

Public Safety: A low-cost LEO constellation of IQSats can provide rapid detection of remote areas to identify natural disasters such as floods and fires; assist in remote search and rescue operations through detection of objects, locations and movement directly to the rescuer; or monitor infrastructure surveillance of dams, bridges and other structures

Agriculture: IQSat can assist farmers by delivering fast and frequent insight on soil, crops, disease, weather and other critical variables to help improve crop output

Science and Research: A constellation of IQSats can provide researchers and scientists with a low-cost solution for tracking unique weather patterns, monitoring wildlife migrations around the world, tracking ocean currents and wildlife and many more capabilities

The IQSat provides mission flexibility for quick and cost-effective constellation design, reducing delivery time and cost of custom sensing satellites and constellation configurations.

Leveraging Watchman for Space, the IQSat platform dynamically updates its incident, event, object or threat detection priorities to meet ever-changing mission needs through uplinked software and configuration driven by users. Additionally, IQSat offers the industry’s first common payload interface designed to host multiple payloads on a single flexible electrical and mechanical interface, allowing for quick and standardized designs to reduce cost, NRE and time to launch.

The IQSat platform will be available in Q4 2025 for mission development and ready for LEO flight in Q1 2026. Based on mission needs, the IQSat offers:

  • Small size and ruggedized, standardized design for low-cost access to space
  • Rapid development and deployment to create constellations in months
  • Flexible sensor options to meet a range of mission needs
  • The latest relevant information from areas of interest in minutes, with a constellation of thousands, frequent revisit rates and human-in-the-loop management in Watchman for Space
  • High accuracy pattern of life and anomaly detection of incidents, events and items of interest through on-board AI/ML processing capabilities using HO-LRL
  • Low uplink and downlink bandwidth utilization for rapid delivery of critical information directly to the point of need

Space-based infrastructure solves big problems and fuels big advancements on Earth. The new IQSat platform is integral to space accessibility by delivering low cost, rapid deployment constellations that provide access to actionable information quickly and frequently for infinite applications,” said Pratish Shah, U.S. general manager, Aitech. “Whether used for military and defense, environmental or agricultural applications, communications or scientific research, the flexibility, cost and availability of a solution like IQSat has not existed before – providing more accessibility to the power of space.”

==> Aitech is showcasing the new IQSat PicoSat constellation platform at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in booth #612 from April 7-10.

SSC awards National SSL Phase 3 Lane 2 contracts to the tune of $13.7 billion

 Space Systems Command has awarded three National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 contracts. These Firm Fixed-Price, Indefinite-Delivery Requirements contracts were awarded to SpaceX, United Launch Services, and Blue Origin to provide critical space support to meet national security objectives.

The anticipated values for these contracts are $5,923,580,297 for SpaceX, $5,366,439,406 for United Launch Services, and $2,386,234,812 for Blue Origin.

The Phase 3 Acquisition Strategy consists of a dual-lane approach with two separate contract types to fulfill program and national security requirements, providing assured access to space for the integrated space architecture at affordable prices.

ULA launch file photo

The overall NSSL Phase 3 Mission Manifest has almost doubled compared to Phase 2, with an anticipated 84 missions being awarded from FY25 through FY29. The increased manifest enabled the program to use the dual-lane acquisition strategy, creating the most cost and time efficient solutions for NSSL launch. Phase 3 has been able to split the manifest into the commercial-like Lane 1 missions (approximately 30 missions), and Lane 2 (approximately 54 missions) which will secure assured access and the highest reliability for our most demanding, least risk-tolerant payloads.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn on launch pad, file photo

SpaceX, as the Requirement 1 provider, is anticipated to be awarded 28 missions or about 60% and ULA, as the Requirement 2 provider, is anticipated to be awarded 19 missions or about 40% of the Phase 3 Lane 2 missions from FY25 to FY29. Blue Origin, as the Requirement 3 provider is projected to be awarded seven Phase 3 Lane 2 missions starting in Order Year 2.

Mission awards in FY25–FY29 are projected to have a nominal two-year integration resulting in launches from FY27–FY32.

SSC, in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), will conduct the Phase 3 Lane 2 Mission Assignment Board to assign the FY25 Order Year 1 missions, and will make those announcements separately following completion of that process, and then in October of each subsequent order year.

A robust and resilient space launch architecture is the foundation of both our economic prosperity and our national security,” said U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman. “National Security Space Launch isn’t just a program; it’s a strategic necessity that delivers the critical space capabilities our warfighters depend on to fight and win.“

Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, said, “America leads the world in space launch, and through these NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 contracts, we will ensure continued access to this vital domain,” he stated. “These awards bolster our ability to launch critical defense satellites while strengthening our industrial base and enhancing operational readiness.”

Today’s award culminates nearly three years of government and industry partnership to increase launch resiliency and capacity,” said Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space. “The result is assured access to space for our national security missions, which increases the military’s readiness.”

SSC is the U.S. Space Force’s field command responsible for acquiring and delivering resilient warfighting capabilities to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in and from space. SSC manages a $15 billion space acquisition budget for the DoD and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, and academic and allied organizations to accelerate innovation and outpace emerging threats. Our actions today are making the world a better space for tomorrow. manages a $15 billion annual space acquisition budget for the DoD and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, and academic and allied organizations to accelerate innovation and outpace emerging threats.