Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ: RKLB) received a $90 million contract from the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command to design, manufacture, integrate, and operate two geostationary orbit satellites hosting Heimdall space domain awareness payloads.

The contract marks Rocket Lab's first satellite production program for geostationary orbit. The company will serve as prime contractor and end-to-end mission provider, handling spacecraft design and manufacture, integration of the Heimdall optical payload, launch integration onto a government-furnished launch vehicle, and on-orbit operations for up to five years following commissioning.

The two satellites will be built on Rocket Lab's Lightning bus, adapted for the thermal, radiation, propulsion, and station-keeping requirements of geostationary orbit. Lightning is currently in production for multiple national security programs, including the Space Development Agency's Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta and Tranche 3 Tracking Layer, as well as commercial constellations.

The contract builds on a Space Systems Command program that began with prototype development of two Heimdall space-based payloads originally awarded to GEOST, which Rocket Lab acquired in 2025 and integrated as Rocket Lab Optical Systems. The prototype phase developed two Heimdall payloads as electro-optical sensors designed to be hosted on satellites in geosynchronous orbit to augment the Space Force's ability to maintain custody of objects in the GEO belt.

Rocket Lab will perform spacecraft assembly, integration, and test at its Long Beach, California Spacecraft Production Complex, with payload delivery from Rocket Lab Optical Systems and mission operations conducted from Rocket Lab facilities following launch.