July 2, 2025
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Rocket Lab has taken a major step forward in supporting U.S. space defense. The California-based company announced today it has completed a key design milestone for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta program.
As a prime contractor, Rocket Lab will build and deliver 18 satellites for the program — part of a larger military communications network in low Earth orbit known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
The company says the successful Critical Design Review confirms that its spacecraft design and systems meet all mission requirements. That green light now moves the project into full-scale production.
Brad Clevenger, President of Rocket Lab National Security, says the mission is about more than just hardware.
“We’re building the backbone of resilient, real-time connectivity in space for U.S. and allied forces.”
The spacecraft will be built using Rocket Lab’s Lightning platform — designed for high power and data needs of national security missions. Rocket Lab is also vertically integrated, meaning it produces most of its spacecraft components in-house, from solar panels to software, helping control costs and timelines.
With this milestone, Rocket Lab continues to strengthen its role as a key player in the next generation of space-based defense infrastructure.
It is not currently known if the Rocket Lab site at Wallops will provide launch service for these launches.
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