Space Force Selects Rocket Lab For Space Data Network Consortium, Awarded $12M in Contracts to Support Global Military Communications Network

LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced its onboarding into the U.S. Space Force’s Space Data Network (SDN) Consortium, expanding vendor diversity for the Space Data Network Backbone (SDN-B), a key initiative to develop a secure, high-speed global satellite communications network for military operations. In addition, Rocket Lab has also been competitively awarded two delivery orders totaling a combined value of $12 million to support the SDN-B program to demonstrate interoperability of secure optical communications in space.

The SDN Consortium, managed by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, brings together industry leaders to design and deploy a resilient satellite communications architecture. This network will enable secure, real-time global communications to support the U.S. military’s operations across all domains, including air, land, sea, and space.