Flatellite: Is Rocket Lab Secretly Building Its Own Mega Constellation?

Rocket Lab ended February with an announcement of their new satellite which will be used to build their own satellite constellation. Flatellite, as the name suggests, is a flat spacecraft that is capable of mass production and designed with constellation building in mind. The target audience of Rocket Lab’s new product is wide-ranging, including defence and national security sectors. 

Rocket Lab’s CEO and founder, Sir Pete Beck, said in a statement: “The need for large, reliable satellite constellations continues to grow across defense and commercial markets. The industry is hungry for versatile satellites that are affordable and built fast in high volumes. This is why we created Flatellite.”

What Is Flatellite & Why Is It Important For Future Constellations?

To address the rapidly proliferating interest and need for orbital satellites and constellations, Rocket Lab says Flatellite is the answer. Reason being is the satellites underlying: “scalable, long-life, high-power, stackable [formation which] enables secure, low-latency, high-speed connectivity and remote sensing capability for national security, defense, and commercial markets.” 

To maintain scalability, the rocket developers said its “stackable” and “low-profile” structure means each launcher can carry a significant volume of Flatellites. In fact, with Rocket Lab’s ethos encapsulating end-to-end processes, Flatellite is capable of “seamless integration with Rocket Lab’s own Neutron rocket”. But what appears to be more interesting is that Flatellite is a step towards creating a Rocket Lab owned and operated satellite constellation. 

Once Rocket Lab’s new satellite is open to the market, the developers have afforded themselves a unique opportunity to manufacture at scale. Ultimately, this means they can create constellations more easily and quickly compared to other mega constellations. “This approach enables rapid, high-volume production of Flatellite without compromising performance or reliability,” Rocket Lab said. 

Key Features Of Rocket Lab’s Flatellite

To entice government and commercial partners to jump at the chance of utilise Flatellite’s capabilities, Rocket Lab said there are many key features to meet the needs of their customers. Equally, the rocket developers argued Flatellite is a strategic approach to satellite manufacturing. According to Rocket Lab, with Fatellite’s expedited delivery, it does not compromise quality. However, seeing as Flatellite is a brand-new product, this remains to be seen. Nonetheless, these are the ranging features of Flatellite, described by Rocket Lab:

• “Payload Flexibility: Ideal for high operational duty cycle telecommunications, as well as remote sensing applications.
• High Launch Efficiency: Stackable design maximises the number of satellites launched per mission, with seamless integration with Neutron.
• High Performance, Reliable Yet Cost-Effective: Provides reliable, long-life performance, including high-power capability, while remaining cost effective due to rapid mass production enabled by extensive vertical integration with flight proven components.
• Secure Software: Incorporates Rocket Lab’s cyber-secure MAX Constellation flight software and InterMission ground software for enhanced cybersecurity to meet the needs of national security customers and other security conscious application operators.”

Rocket Lab’s 2025 Appears To Be A Year Of Innovation 

2025 is shaping up to be a key year for Rocket Lab. Once operational, all Flatellite satellites will be developed at their headquarters in California. Rocket Lab said the new satellite will play a pivotal role in their “family of four standard high-performance spacecraft models”. 

The breaking news also comes after Rocket Lab’s 60th Electron launch. The first of 40 other backlog missions – the company said. With Rocket Lab’s 2025 starting with a bang, eye’s will remain fixated on Rocket Lab’s operations to see how their new satellite will underpin public and private space activities and strategic initiatives.