Overview
- Rocket Lab said the Space Development Agency Tracking Layer Tranche 3 award includes an $806 million base contract with $10.45 million in options under the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
- Each of the 18 satellites would carry Phoenix wide–field-of-view infrared payloads and StarLite space protection sensors to support global detection and tracking of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic systems.
- RKLB rose 17.69% on Friday after the contract announcement, following an 11.05% gain on Thursday tied to a successful national-security launch.
- The STP‑S30 “Don’t Be Such a Square” mission lifted off Dec. 18 from Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island and deployed four DiskSats to about 550 kilometers in low Earth orbit five months ahead of schedule.
- Electron notched its 20th launch of 2025 and 78th mission overall, marking the fourth LC‑2 flight in three months for U.S. defense customers, as earlier financials highlighted $155 million in Q3 revenue and roughly $1.1 billion in backlog with a Bank of America price target raised to $60.