The $8 billion deal would unite Rocket Lab's satellite manufacturing and launch capabilities with Iridium's operating global communications constellation, giving the company control over the entire spacecraft lifecycle.
Three separate NASA awards announced in late June 2026 show the agency leaning on commercial partners to build out space communications infrastructure, launch science payloads, and expand Earth observation datasets.
The Victus Haze mission placed a Space Force spacecraft into orbit just 16 hours and 42 minutes after a launch order, then completed on-orbit commissioning and a proximity inspection exercise well ahead of schedule.
The U.S. Space Force's second live Tactically Responsive Space exercise put a Rocket Lab satellite into orbit on June 19 and paired it with a True Anomaly vehicle to demonstrate rapid threat characterization and on-orbit rendezvous.
