Rocket Lab, Lockheed Martin named in Space Force’s SpaceX-led SB-AMTI vendor pool

Government procurement records reviewed by MarketWatch show that Rocket Lab, Lockheed Martin and several other companies were named in the vendor pool for SpaceX’s Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program, or SB-AMTI.

The disclosure adds a new layer to a Space Force effort that had already been publicly framed as a multibillion-dollar push to move airborne target tracking into space. It suggests the program is being organized around a broader contractor base than the initial SpaceX award alone implied.

The records show a nine-vendor pool tied to the program. Alongside SpaceX, the named companies include Rocket Lab, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, York Space Systems, Visto 360 AI, Wildstar and Systems & Technology Research.

How the program took shape

Space Systems Command previously disclosed that SpaceX won a $4.16 billion SB-AMTI award. Later reporting described the contract as having a reported ceiling of $9.34 billion, with work running through March 2031.

The procurement records reviewed by MarketWatch show nine SB-AMTI contracts signed between March 23 and March 25, 2026. SpaceX’s obligations were reported at $2.637 billion, while the other vendors were assigned nominal placeholder amounts of $10,000 or $6,666.

That split matters because it indicates the Space Force appears to be structuring the program as a multi-award effort rather than a single-company buildout. The latest records do not spell out the operational role of each vendor, but they do confirm that the supplier roster was wider than the SpaceX award that drew attention in June.

What SB-AMTI is meant to do

SB-AMTI is intended to create a satellite-based sensing layer in low Earth orbit that can detect and track airborne targets and relay data back to military users.

The mission is aimed at contested or denied environments where aircraft-based tracking can be more difficult to sustain. Space Force has said the program is meant to accelerate fielding and that it expects to issue multiple awards in the coming year to expand the vendor base.

For the Pentagon, that points to a long-term surveillance architecture rather than a one-off satellite order. For the companies named in the records, it suggests a competition and partner ecosystem that could still change as the program matures.

Why the vendor list matters

The presence of Rocket Lab and Lockheed Martin is notable because the two companies sit at different points in the defense and space supply chain. Rocket Lab is known as a launch and space systems company, while Lockheed Martin is one of the largest defense primes in the U.S. market.

Their inclusion alongside companies such as L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, York Space Systems and smaller technology firms suggests the Space Force may be building SB-AMTI as an industrial coalition, not just a single prime contractor effort.

That matters for how work could be divided in future awards. It also points to the likelihood that procurement records may reveal more about the program’s shape before Space Force publicly itemizes every vendor’s role.

What to watch next

The immediate unanswered question is how much of the reported ceiling will ultimately be obligated and how the work will be split among the named companies.

Another open issue is whether Space Systems Command will issue additional SB-AMTI awards over the coming year, as it has indicated it expects to do. If so, the vendor pool could grow beyond the current nine companies.

For now, the records confirm a broader supplier roster around SpaceX’s Space Force project and reinforce the scale of the government’s push toward satellite-based airborne threat tracking.