nuclear-news

New Zealand’s Rocket Lab ‘ready to serve’ Pentagon

RNZ Phil Pennington, Reporter 19 Feb 25

Rocket Lab is poised to launch a satellite from Mahia Peninsula for a US company which is looking to bolster military and spying operations.

BlackSky’s plan is to add laser optic links later to its Gen-3 satellites to give “war-fighters real-time access to imagery during time-sensitive military operations worldwide”.

This comes shortly after Rocket Lab won a part in a mega-deal to help develop hypersonic weapons for the Pentagon, prompting the firm to state it was “ready to serve the US Department of Defense”.

The New York-listed, New Zealand-born company has also completed a design review for 18 military satellites in a contract worth more than $800 million, for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), which is putting up a web of low-orbit satellites for missile tracking and battlefield comms.

That deal, which was signed last year, cemented Rocket Lab as a “prime” – or lead – defence contractor in the US.

The Mahia launch is set down for some time from Tuesday, and will be the first of several Gen-3s for BlackSky, which has used the site near Gisborne since 2019.

The government last year dismissed pro-Palestinian protesters complaints it breached rules on launches…………………………………..

Six months ago, BlackSky said it would make Gen-3s compatible with military networks. It won a $175m satellite contract with an unnamed international defence customer last month.

Its constellation of small satellites also has civilian uses, such as in mapping natural disasters.

Rocket Lab’s share price in the US has surged since it won big Pentagon contracts………………………………………………………….. more https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/542305/rocket-lab-ready-to-serve-pentagon
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February 21, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | New Zealand, weapons and war