Rocket Lab Corporation was competitively selected for a $12 million contract and two delivery orders supporting the U.S. Space Force’s Space Data Network-Beta program, which is designed to demonstrate interoperability for secure optical communications in space. The SDN initiative aims to provide resilient, high-capacity and low-latency connectivity for U.S. military operations across air, land, sea and space. The award follows Rocket Lab’s onboarding to the Space Force’s $981 million NITE-STAR contract vehicle, under which it can compete for task orders involving satellite development, space software, ground systems, digital environments and operational sustainment. Rocket Lab shares were down 3.68% at $76.25 in Wednesday premarket trading. Analysts have a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $107.71, while the company’s next financial update is estimated for November 9, 2026.