Rocket Lab and Lockheed partner with SpaceX on military space laser project

Rocket Lab, Lockheed Martin and L3 Harris are among a group of eight aerospace and defence companies sharing a multibillion-dollar military vendor pool with SpaceX for a new space defence program, government documents show. Last month, Space Systems Command — an organisation under the US Space Force — announced that it had awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion contract for the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI) program.

The Space Force, a branch of the US Armed Forces under the Department of the Air Force, had previously indicated that there were a total of nine vendors in the pool. According to government records posted on the federal government’s procurement portal managed by the General Services Administration, Rocket Lab, York Space Systems, Visto 360 AI, Wildstar and Systems & Technology Research received contracts valued at $10,000 each under the SB-AMTI initiative. The records were first flagged on social media by space investor Jacob Keeton and a user of the social-media platform X posting under the handle @trypto_tran.

Government records also showed that Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and L3 Harris received contracts for $6,666 each under the SB-AMTI initiative. All nine SB-AMTI contracts were signed between March 23 and March 25 of this year and run until March 2031.

A Space Force spokesperson told MarketWatch that Space Systems Command could neither confirm nor deny the vendor identities due to national security interests.

SpaceX’s contract shows that the ultimate scope of the SB-AMTI program - which aims to implement a space-based sensing layer to track and target airborne threats - extends far beyond the Pentagon’s initial $4.16 billion disclosure. SpaceX secured $2.637 billion in total obligations in March, with the agreement’s maximum potential contract value capping at $9.34 billion. The other eight vendors’ total obligations of $10,000 and $6,666 are placeholder allocations designed to grant them a position in the vendor pool.

Traditionally, the US Military has tracked airborne threats, such as missiles and drones, by flying aircraft over areas of interest. However, the rapid proliferation of advanced antiaircraft missiles by foreign adversaries has diminished the effectiveness of this strategy. This SB-AMTI award is projected to deploy a constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by 2028 to continuously monitor global airspace and eliminate operational blind spots. Satellites with advanced sensors will sweep through airspace to pick up information that traditional airborne radar systems can’t read, then beam the data through a laser-linked orbital mesh network directly to meet war fighter needs.

SpaceX and Rocket Lab are the two biggest launch-services providers in the US, and also provide end-to-end satellite manufacturing services. In the May announcement, Space System Command shared that “Space Force anticipates issuing multiple awards in the coming year to drive a vendor-diverse expansion” - a signal that the nine-vendor pool anchored by SpaceX is only the beginning of a larger pipeline.

First published on Fanatical Futurist on 24 June 2026.

311 Intelligence

What this means

Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit

The big shift is from watching the sky with aircraft to watching it from orbit. The SB-AMTI programme aims to put a constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit by 2028 to track missiles and drones, and beam the data to war fighters over laser links. Our Starburst data backs the timing: we rate Low Earth Orbit Platforms and Free Space Laser Communications as Prepare technologies, and we expect both in wide use by 2030.

What it means by sector.

• Defence: foreign adversaries' advanced antiaircraft missiles have made surveillance flights less effective. We track Space Militarisation as a Prepare trend, with wide use by 2030.
• Aerospace and space companies: SpaceX holds a contract worth up to $9.34 billion, while eight rivals hold placeholder places in the pool. We track Big Tech Defence Contracts as a Prepare trend, and the Space Force says more awards are coming.
• Launch and satellite makers: SpaceX and Rocket Lab are the two biggest US launch providers and both build satellites end to end, which puts them at the centre of this work.

What to do now.

• If you supply defence, track the Space Force's planned vendor-diverse awards and position for them now.
• If you build sensors or communications kit, look at how your products could feed a laser-linked orbital network.
• Plan for a world where airborne movements are watched continuously from space, with no blind spots.

The Starburst technologies behind this story

From the 311 Technology Starburst (first product, expected wide use and readiness):

Technology	Category	First product	Wide use	Action	TRL
Low Earth Orbit Platforms	Connectivity	1968	2030	Prepare	9
Free Space Laser Communications	Connectivity	2016	2030	Prepare	9
Mesh Networks	Connectivity	1994	2027	Act now	9
Sensor Fusion	Sensors	2000	2030	Prepare	9

And the trends they feed, from the 311 Trends Starburst:

Trend	Wide use	Action
Space Militarisation	2030	Prepare
Big Tech Defence Contracts	2029	Prepare
Privatisation of Space	2020	Act now

How this moves the trend

The military's use of commercial satellites has grown step by step. In 2020 the US military signed on to start testing Elon Musk's StarLink communications network. In 2022 SpaceX unveiled Starshield, its government encrypted satellite network, and in 2025 the US Space Force approved plans for satellite carriers in space. SB-AMTI moves commercial space firms from carrying signals to tracking targets.

Go deeper with 311

• The 311 Starburst Centre: every technology and trend above, with timelines and readiness.
• 311 Vantage: ask what space-based defence means for your organisation and get a plain English executive brief.
• The Exponential Technology Codex and the Annual Trends Codex: the technologies and trends reshaping every industry.
• Book a briefing or keynote on the future of space and defence for your board or leadership team.