Rocket Lab Onboarded to U.S. Space Force’s $981M NITE-STAR Program to Advance Space Test and Training Infrastructure

LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has been onboarded to the United States Space Force’s NITE-STAR (NSTTC Innovative Technology & Engineering – Space Test and Range) IDIQ contract, an advanced space test and training infrastructure with a $981M contract ceiling.

Managed by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, the NITE-STAR contract is intended to support a distributed test and training architecture to help prepare space operators for contested scenarios. The program supports the Space Force’s mission to build an integrated test and training infrastructure that prepares space operators for contested scenarios and advances space warfighter readiness.