Illustration of congestion in geostationary orbit. Credit: ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL; CC BY-SA 3.0
By Sandra Erwin,
Published by Space News, 28 August 2025
WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab’s newly acquired subsidiary Geost has secured an expansion of a U.S. Space Force contract to produce two optical payloads for missions in geostationary orbit.
The award, first issued in 2021, has more than doubled in value to $80.7 million and has been extended through July 2026, when Geost is expected to finish development. Under the modification announced earlier this month, Geost will deliver the payloads to the Space Systems Command’s Space Combat Power Program Executive Office.
“This is a hosted payload program demonstrating how a commercial capability can provide flexible and adaptable space domain awareness,” the office said in a statement to SpaceNews. The service has not yet identified which satellite or satellites will carry the sensors. “Payload development is projected to complete mid-2026. The payload launch date will be dependent on the host that is selected,” the office added.
The Space Force said the Geost contract supports its push for “concepts for low-cost, low size, weight, and power hosted space-based sensors to improve space domain awareness in geosynchronous orbit.”
Geostationary orbit is home to many of the U.S. military’s most critical satellites, including those for missile warning and global communications. Optical payloads such as those being built by Geost help operators track and characterize spacecraft, offering early warning of potentially hostile maneuvers. GEO has also become a focus of China and Russia, whose satellites have occasionally maneuvered close to U.S. systems.
To keep pace, the Space Force is turning to commercial providers for sensor technologies to supplement government-built spacecraft. The Pentagon has traditionally depended on ground-based telescopes and radars, but orbiting sensors in GEO offer a persistent vantage point and can detect threats such as reconnaissance or jamming satellites more quickly.
Geost, founded in 2004 and based in Tucson, Arizona, develops electro-optical and infrared sensors for national security missions. Private equity firm ATL Partners bought a majority stake in 2021, folding the company into LightRidge Solutions. Rocket Lab agreed in May 2025 to acquire Geost for $275 million, completing the deal in August.
See: Original Article
