St. Petersburg-based Seagate Space has signed a long-term agreement with defense contractor Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to launch rockets from a vessel stationed offshore, with the first mission planned for 2027 and additional launches expected in subsequent years.
The agreement, announced Nov. 10, comes as Seagate has signed its first construction contract for Gateway, a mobile vessel designed to support rocket launches, missile tests and recovery missions at sea.
Kratos, a publicly traded defense technology company based in San Diego, plans to use the vessel initially for defense-related launches and target missions. The companies also anticipate future operations involving hypersonic testing and ballistic-missile targets.
The Gateway vessel is designed to move between offshore launch locations, allowing mission planners to select launch positions and flight paths that established land-based ranges may not accommodate.
With its first construction contract signed, Gateway will move through vessel construction, launch-system integration and preparations for its planned 2027 mission.
Earlier development work included an offshore launch platform design that received Approval in Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping under its offshore spaceport guidelines. Seagate also partnered with Space Florida on Project Manta, a prototype initiative involving Tampa Ship at Port Tampa Bay to build and demonstrate components of the offshore launch system.
The company participated in Tampa Bay Wave’s inaugural BlueTech|X Accelerator in 2025, a program for ocean and maritime technology startups, and is based at spARK Labs by ARK Invest in St. Petersburg.