NEW HYDE PARK, NY - On July 7, 2020 iRocket announced that the company signed a Phase II RAPID Other Transaction Agreement contract with the U.S. Air Force. The award was created just three months after the phase I contract when iRocket partnered with Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) in Albuquerque, N.M., and Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
iRocket is a privately funded New York startup building autonomous small reusable rockets to cargo micro, nano, cube, and constellations to LEO on its Shockwave launch vehicle. The company develops cost-effective small launch vehicles that can support 300kg and 1500 kg payloads for space research and exploration. After the recent successful launch of two American astronauts into orbit by the SpaceX/NASA partnership, there has been tremendous media interest in private companies innovating, reducing costs, and increasing access to space exploration - all of which are iRocket's specialties. iRocket plans to disrupt the small satellite market and will offer on-orbit satellite servicing capabilities by 2025.