Kymeta and iRocket have announced a collaboration to test Kymeta’s conformal multi-orbit satellite communications technology on iRocket’s missile interceptors, a development aimed at supporting continuously connected and responsive interceptor systems envisioned for future continental defense architectures such as the Golden Dome concept. iRocket
Kymeta and iRocket Partner on Connected Interceptor Technology
The collaboration advances efforts to create continuously connected interceptor systems aligned with emerging continental defense architectures.
Kymeta and Innovative Rocket Technologies (iRocket) have formed a collaboration to integrate and test Kymeta’s conformal multi-orbit satellite communications technology on iRocket’s missile interceptor systems. The partnership joins two companies working in areas that the U.S. Department of Defense increasingly relies on: commercial satellite connectivity and rapid-response interceptor capabilities.
Kymeta’s new antenna design uses metamaterials that allow the system to be built directly into the body of an interceptor rather than mounted externally. The conformal approach removes moving parts and eliminates the bulk associated with traditional gimbaled or phased array antennas. By blending into the shape of the missile, the hardware reduces drag, preserves vehicle aerodynamics, and lowers the interceptor’s visual and electromagnetic profile. The antennas can steer beams electronically, maintain links with multiple satellite constellations, and operate across different frequency bands, giving operators access to both commercial and military networks.
Multi-orbit connectivity is increasingly important as missile defense systems require accurate mid-course updates and constant communication in contested environments. The ability to connect across several satellite layers improves resilience, ensuring that data can be transferred even if one constellation or frequency band is disrupted. When paired with iRocket’s propulsion and guidance technologies, the combined systems are expected to offer more precise maneuvering and faster response times.
For missile defense agencies, connectivity has become a critical performance factor. Interceptors rely on updated target tracking during flight, especially against advanced threats that can change speed or trajectory. Kymeta’s antennas support real-time data exchanges without the need for large external hardware, allowing interceptors to receive new guidance information throughout their trajectory. The low power requirements of metamaterial components also help reduce thermal output and diminish signals that could reveal the interceptor’s location.
The collaboration arrives as the Pentagon pursues the Golden Dome framework for continental defense, an architecture that envisions a distributed, resilient network of sensors, satellites, and interceptors protecting U.S. territory. Achieving this vision requires systems that remain connected from launch through impact, even under electronic warfare conditions. By combining satellite communications innovation with iRocket’s interceptor platform, the two companies aim to demonstrate technologies that contribute to that broader architecture.
Joint development work will begin immediately and will include antenna integration, ground testing, and flight trials. Initial integration tests are scheduled for the second half of 2026. The effort reflects a larger shift toward integrating commercial technologies into defense programs in order to speed adoption and improve performance in areas such as communications, propulsion, and autonomous operations.
The partnership brings commercial satellite communications advances into missile defense, an area historically dominated by custom government-built systems. If successful, the integrated interceptor could improve accuracy, communications resilience, and responsiveness, supporting U.S. efforts to field a more agile and connected homeland defense architecture.