Rocket Lab Announces Flatellite: A New Satellite Designed for Mass Manufacture and Tailored for Large Constellations

Rocket Lab Announces Flatellite: A New Satellite Designed for Mass Manufacture and Tailored for Large Constellations

A bold, strategic move toward Rocket Lab operating its own constellation and delivering services from space, Flatellite is the next strategic step in the Company’s ultimate vision as an end-to-end space company.

Long Beach, California. February 27, 2024 – Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today introduced Flatellite, a new satellite that can be produced in high volumes and tailored for large constellations, targeting high value applications and national security missions.

A scalable, long-life, high-power, stackable satellite, Flatellite enables secure, low-latency, high-speed connectivity and remote sensing capability for national security, defense, and commercial markets. Flatellite employs a low-profile, stackable structure to maximize the number of satellites that can be deployed per launch and has seamless integration with Rocket Lab’s own Neutron rocket.

Flatellite is the culmination of a very deliberate and strategic approach, through both acquisitions and organic product development, to become a uniquely vertically integrated satellite manufacturer. Flatellite integrates Rocket Lab’s heritage components and subsystems, including propulsion, flight software, avionics, reaction wheels, star trackers, separation system, solar arrays, radios, composite structures, fuel tanks, and more. This approach enables rapid, high-volume production of Flatellite without compromising performance or reliability.

“The need for large, reliable satellite constellations continues to grow across defense and commercial markets. The industry is hungry for versatile satellites that are affordable and built fast in high volumes. This is why we created Flatellite,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck. “Flatellite is more than just a new product developed to serve our customers’ ever-evolving needs. It’s a bold, strategic move toward completing the final step in Rocket Lab’s ultimate vision of being a truly end-to-end space company, operating its own constellation and delivering services from space. By having our own rides to space with Neutron and Electron and being able to build our own spacecraft in high volumes, we're at a distinct advantage when it comes to deploying constellations with speed and cost-efficiency.”

Flatellite Key Features:

• Payload Flexibility: Ideal for high operational duty cycle telecommunications, as well as remote sensing applications.
• High Launch Efficiency: Stackable design maximizes the number of satellites launched per mission, with seamless integration with Neutron.
• High Performance, Reliable Yet Cost-Effective: Provides reliable, long-life performance, including high-power capability, while remaining cost effective due to rapid mass production enabled by extensive vertical integration with flight proven components.
• Secure Software: Incorporates Rocket Lab’s cyber-secure MAX Constellation flight software and InterMission ground software for enhanced cyber security to meet the needs of national security customers and other security conscious application operators.

Flatellite joins Rocket Lab’s family of four standard high-performance spacecraft models that enable commercial, science, exploration, and defense missions, all of which are manufactured the Company’s Spacecraft Production Complex and headquarters in Long Beach, California. Rocket Lab currently has more than 40 spacecraft in backlog spanning a range of complex missions for commercial, civil and national security customers.

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+ Rocket Lab Media Contact 

media@rocketlabusa.com

+ About Rocket Lab 

 Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, a family of spacecraft platforms, and the Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 200 satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s spacecraft platforms have been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.

+ Forward Looking Statements 

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding our launch and space systems operations, launch schedule and window, safe and repeatable access to space, Neutron development, operational expansion and business strategy are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of our website at www.rocketlabusa.com, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.