Rocket Lab has unveiled Its newest piece of hardware, the Flatellite, in their recent investors’ presentation and elaborated on in a longer announcement by the company. The Flatellite is a “scalable, long-life, high-power, stackable satellite” according to Rocket Lab; one whose stowed shape is reminiscent of an oversized pizza box.
The company, headed by President and CEO Sir Peter Beck, was responsible for building and operating the Electron small orbital launcher. Since then, they’ve branched out into producing a variety of space systems and spacecraft, including reaction wheels, orbital transfer vehicles, and the upcoming Neutron medium lift launcher.
The company also has a presence in Canada having previously acquired Sinclair Interplanetary known for their reaction wheels.
Payload flexibility and a “stackable” shape
The announcement said that the Flatellites feature “payload flexibility”, and are intended to enable “secure, low-latency, high-speed connectivity and remote sensing capabilities.” Even when operational, it retains its flattened shape, which Rocket Lab described as a deliberate choice. Its “low-profile, stackable structure” was designed to “maximize the number of satellites that can be deployed per launch.”
Rocket Lab’s announcement also said that the Flatellites will have software that features “enhanced cyber security to meet the needs of national security customers and other security conscious application operators.”
Tellingly, Rocket Lab emphasized that the Flatellite will have “seamless integration” with the upcoming medium-lift Neutron rocket. In this way, it echoes the integration that SpaceX has between the Falcon rockets and their own Starlink internet constellation; part of the reason SpaceX’s rideshare missions are so frequent is because they’re usually deploying a large load of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
Deployment of the larger and more capable V2 Starlink satellites, in turn, is slated to be a key role of Starship when it completes testing and can reliably achieve orbit.
Further echoing the Starlink comparison, Rocket Lab said that 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.” The announcement touted how Flatellites integrate “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.”
Much like with SpaceX, Rocket Lab trumpets vertical integration as a key means by which they can produce large numbers of these “flatellites” comparatively cheaply. The announcement said that a key focus was on creating a satellite “that can be produced in high volumes and tailored for large constellations.”
Rocket Lab acquires laser communications company Mynaric
In fact, one key acquisition related to this new business may be currently underway at time of writing.
Shortly after announcing the Flatellite, Rocket Lab announced the intended acquisition of Mynaric AG, a company focused on “laser optical communications terminals for air, space, and mobile applications.” The announcement said that “laser communication has become a pain point for constellation operators,” with optical communications equipment often only being available “in subscale quantities with long lead times.” Rocket Lab intends to use the acquisition to address that pain point.
In addition to acquiring the business, Rocket Lab said that the acquisition would also lead to Rocket Lab’s “first European foothold in Munich, Germany,” including over 300 engineers and staff and “extensive production assets,” which would “open up incremental European growth opportunities.”
Rocket Lab and the global market
What markets are being targeted by Rocket Lab and the flatellites are, however, somewhat of an open question. Rocket Lab’s announcement appeared to be focused on providing Flatellites to other operators for their constellations, particularly those focused on “high value applications and national security missions.” Beck himself said that the industry is “hungry for versatile satellites that are affordable and built fast in high volumes”, and that it is “the final step in Rocket Lab’s ultimate vision of being a truly end-to-end space company.”
Yet in the same announcement, Beck also said that Flatellite is part of Rocket Lab’s own vision of “operating its own constellation and delivering services from space,” suggesting that Rocket Lab did not intend the Flatellites to simply augment other operators’ constellations. Beck said that “having our own rides to space with Neutron and Electron,” as well as “being able to build our own spacecraft in high volumes,” will give Rocket Lab the capabilities needed for “deploying constellations with speed and cost-efficiency.” Whether these would be Rocket Lab constellations, or other operators’ constellations, was left unaddressed.
This question stands against the backdrop of the European market—which Rocket Lab just entered with the Mynaric acquisition—possibly rethinking ties with Starlink. Recent reporting by Reuters has suggested that Europe may be looking for replacements for Starlink, particularly for sensitive national security and defense applications, including satellite-based communications and remote sensing over Ukraine.
While this role had previously been played by SpaceX and Starlink, the growing controversy over American trade tariffs, which have already caused the Government of Ontario to cancel an upcoming contract with Starlink, appears to be causing European governments to rethink their reliance on SpaceX.
Chief among these potential competitors is Eutelsat. According to Reuters, Eutelsat’s stock “more than quadrupled” after a recent contentious meeting between American President Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelenskyy, and speculation is persisting that Eutelsat’s mix of low-earth orbit and geosynchronous satellites may be pursued as a replacement if Starlink pulls out of Ukraine.
But as Reuters’ reporting also pointed out, competition to Starlink is otherwise shaping up “slowly,” with constellations potentially taking “years” to become operational Starlink alternatives. Rocket Lab could turbocharge this situational change.
Rocket Lab emphasized the importance of the US defence and national security market in their recent investor update, just prior to revealing the Flatellite, so it would be a mistake to think that they’re not still focused on the American market. They will be likely seeking customers for the Flatellite within the United States.
Nevertheless, with the announcement of the integrated “end-to-end” capabilities, including the “seamless integration” of the Flatellites and the upcoming Neutron launcher, Rocket Lab may be positioning itself as either a potential alternative or potential augmentation for non-US companies looking for Starlink alternatives, explaining their emphasis on servicing the European market in the Mynaric announcement.
Companies may decide to integrate the Flatellites into their own constellations—deploying Mynaric’s optical communications for intra-constellation communications—or simply put communications and remote sensing payloads onto Rocket Lab’s own “flexible-payload” Flatellite constellation. Both options could provide alternatives to Starlink, and even (potentially) to American remote sensing assets in general.
Screenshot " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?fit=300%2C265&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?fit=780%2C688&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?resize=780%2C688&ssl=1" alt="Flatellite stacked for Neutron" class="wp-image-40389" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?resize=300%2C265&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?resize=768%2C678&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?resize=400%2C353&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?resize=706%2C623&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/spaceq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/54355378854\_cd1cbb1865\_c.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px">
Artist concept of Flatellite stacked for Neutron. Credit: Rocket Lab
These are still early days. The investor presentation said that Neutron’s first test flight will be sometime in late 2025, and Rocket Lab has not yet provided details on the Flatellites. The only picture that Rocket Lab has provided of the Flatellites “seamless integration” in a Neutron was an artist’s render.
Nevertheless, the Flatellites show a Rocket Lab that appears to be transitioning towards a role as a fully-fledged vertically-integrated SpaceX competitor, right down to having its very own large-scale constellation.