U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Kirtland AFB, N.M. site has awarded Kratos Defense‘s [KTOS] space and missile defense division, L3Harris Technologies’ [LHX] Aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace business, and Corvid Technologies LLC a nine-year $877 million contract for the Sounding Rocket Program-4 (SRP-4).
Sounding rockets are typically, small low-cost suborbital launches for atmospheric research up to more than 800 miles above Earth.
The first SRP-4 launch was in March 2021 using a Space Vector Corp. rocket, while Kratos’ space and missile defense division supported the launch with integration, interface, and mission planning services.
“This contract provides suborbital launch services and launch support services necessary to accomplish the Rocket Systems Launch Program’s suborbital mission,” SSC said in a Jan. 26 contract announcement. “The primary locations of performance of the work will be at the contractor facilities and a variety of government launch sites, depending on mission requirements, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 15, 2029.”