Payload has a good, concise write-up on Rocket Lab’s recent announcement that they’ll partner with Viasat to demo a proposed replacement for NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system. The deal, pretty cool and potentially lucrative long-term in its own right, is also (in typical Rocket Lab fashion) a strong strategic move:

Beck said last month that Rocket Lab’s partnerships were strategic, with the goal of matching SpaceX as a company that can both build and launch spacecraft. This project aims to give the company experience with responsive space communications, and the opportunity to develop a new L-band radio, moving toward Beck’s goal of operating his own satellite network in the next decade.