Air Force Secretary Troy Meink visits K2 Space in California May 21,2026 Credit: @SecAFOfficial
WASHINGTON — K2 Space and Rocket Lab have landed key supplier roles in the U.S. Space Force’s next-generation military communications network, SpaceNews has learned.
K2 Space will provide the satellite platform for SES’s entry in the Protected Tactical Satcom-Global program, known as PTS-G, while Rocket Lab will supply the spacecraft bus for Viasat’s PTS-G satellite. A spokesperson for the Space Systems Command confirmed both companies’ role in the PTS-G program.
The supplier selections shed new light on the industrial teams behind the first operational phase of PTS-G, a Space Force effort to build a more resilient military communications network using commercially derived satellites in geostationary orbit.
Communications satellite operators SES and Viasat were selected last month as prime contractors under a combined $437.7 million award to each build and operate a satellite for five years. The spacecraft are expected to enter service in 2029.
