Rocket Lab hits orbit milestone with eight Globalstar satellites under a $143M deal

Rocket Lab said its first eight 500-kg satellites built for Globalstar under a $143 million contract with MDA Space have reached orbit, are powering on, and undergoing commissioning as the 17-satellite program advances. Launched from Cape Canaveral, the milestone highlights Rocket Lab’s end-to-end, vertically integrated approach and supports its growing defense work, including SDA contracts that have pushed total awards well over $1.3 billion; RKLB shares rose about 1% after hours following the news.