Courtesy Rocket Lab
August 5, 2026 05:30 PM ET
Industry
Space Force
Rocket Lab’s announcement that it would launch suborbital rockets from Alaska could ultimately give the Pentagon a much-needed new option for national-security launches, the company and space experts told Defense One.Last week, the Space Force’s acquisitions arm announced a $266 million, multi-launch contract with the California-based rocket company. That will cover 12 to 18 launches, which will start this year and “primarily take place from a new Rocket Lab location at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska (PSCA) in Kodiak," the company said. These missile-defense missions will be handled by the company’s HASTE rocket, a suborbital variant of its Electron. Both rockets “use the same launch infrastructure so yes, operating out of Alaska naturally opens the door to a broader range of possibilities including orbital launch,” a Rocket Lab spokesperson said. “It’s important to remember too that the core systems, infrastructure, and expertise we build and refine in Alaska aren’t tied to just one location.”Top Space Force officials and lawmakers are concerned that the Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg bases will be unable to handle the projected increase in military-satellite launches. The Space Force expects to launch more than 100 rockets a year within five years and potentially thousands a year by 2036.
