Space Force awards Rocket Lab $397M for SB-AMTI threat-tracking flatellites

New Atlas reported that the US Space Force awarded Rocket Lab a US$397 million contract to deploy flatellites in low Earth orbit under the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program, which is meant to help track airborne threats and augment airborne and terrestrial sensors. An unnamed company received a $218 million contract for a related system, and SpaceX holds a $4.16 billion agreement to build an SB-AMTI satellite constellation that should be operational by 2028, according to the report. Rocket Lab describes its flatellite as a flat satellite design optimized for large constellations, with space-based sensors and low-latency, high-bandwidth links. The low-profile form is designed so many units can stack in a payload, with propulsion, avionics, solar arrays, radios, and other subsystems integrated into a compact frame for high-volume production. New Atlas said Rocket Lab plans to launch the spacecraft on its reusable Neutron rocket, a medium-lift vehicle with a 13-ton payload capacity, and to operate the satellites from secure facilities that supply tracking data to the Space Force. The company first announced flatellites last February.