Rocket Lab Secures Major Viasat Contract

On August 17, Viasat, Inc. awarded Rocket Lab Corporation a significant contract to build the spacecraft bus for the U.S. Space Force's Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program. Under the initial "Swarm 1" award, valued at $218.8 million, Rocket Lab will provide its Lightning-GEO spacecraft platform to host Viasat's payload. This collaboration positions Rocket Lab for potential follow-on contracts, contributing to its impressive financial performance. The company recently reported a record $234.1 million in Q2 2026 revenue, a 62% increase year over year, driven by its Space Systems business. In contrast, Viasat generated $1.2 billion in Q1 FY2027 revenue, showing a slower growth trajectory but improved free cash flow of $72 million. Despite Viasat's larger scale and better operating cash flow, Rocket Lab is demonstrating superior growth rates.