Space-based airborne-target sensors contract signed with U.S. Space Force
NewsAugust 05, 2026
WASHINGTON. The U.S. Space Force awarded contracts totaling $615 million to Rocket Lab, STR (Systems & Technology Research), and a third unidentified company to develop technologies for a satellite network intended to track aircraft and missile threats from orbit.
The firm-fixed-price agreements are the latest awards under the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI) program, which is under development to provide the U.S. military with persistent tracking from space over areas where surveillance aircraft may be unable to operate safely.
Rocket Lab announced that its share is a $397 million contract to develop, launch, and operate multiple “flatellites,” which the company describes as a new type of flat satellite design optimized for large constellations that uses space-based sensors and low-latency, high-bandwidth communications links.
The Space Force noted that these awards are intended to expand the AMTI program’s supplier base and evaluate different approaches to detecting and tracking airborne targets.
