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Rocket Lab

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Rocket Lab clinches Space Force's inaugural GEO satellite program
military3 days ago

Rocket Lab clinches Space Force's inaugural GEO satellite program

Rocket Lab has won a $90 million U.S. Space Force contract to design, build, and operate two geostationary satellites using its Lightning bus to monitor objects in GEO. The program marks its first GEO satellite production effort and includes spacecraft manufacturing, launch integration, and up to five years of on-orbit operations. The satellites will carry Heimdall electro-optical payloads for space-domain awareness as part of a broader Space Force push to deploy distributed, commercially derived surveillance in geostationary orbit.

via SpaceNews|
#geostationary-orbit#heimdall-payloads#military
NASA’s Mars relay contract kicks off a high-stakes bid race
space8 days ago

NASA’s Mars relay contract kicks off a high-stakes bid race

NASA has issued a $700 million solicitation for a Mars Telecommunications Network (Mars relay orbiter), aiming to boost Earth-Mars communications. The procurement seeks full and open competition, but bid eligibility is tied to prior involvement in a Mars Sample Return (MSR) concept, raising questions about favoritism and competition. Rocket Lab appears well positioned, with other contenders including Blue Origin, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and more. The episode intersects with renewed MSR debates in Congress and a tight schedule aiming to launch before the 2028 Mars window, potentially reviving MSR in some form and shaping who builds the rest of the mission architecture.

via Ars Technica|
#mars#mars-sample-return#mtn
Rocket Lab Gets Street-High Target Boost to $120 on Strong Q1 Demand
business15 days ago

Rocket Lab Gets Street-High Target Boost to $120 on Strong Q1 Demand

Rocket Lab’s Q1 beat and optimistic outlook prompted Cowen and Needham to raise RKLB’s price target to a joint street-high of $120, underscoring robust demand for Electron and HASTE with 31 Electron/HASTE bookings and a $190 million HASTE order, plus 5 Neutron bookings and Neutron’s planned 4Q26 first launch. The Mynaric acquisition should expand European revenue opportunities, and SDA Tranche 3 revenue (~$82 million in 2026) adds to near-term growth, though margins may face pressure from mix. Despite a Moderate Buy consensus, the 96.25 average target sits about 9% below the current price, leaving room for potential upgrades or downgrades ahead.

via TipRanks|
#aerospace#business#price-target
Rocket Lab surges after Q1 beat, signs record launch deal and expands backlog
business16 days ago

Rocket Lab surges after Q1 beat, signs record launch deal and expands backlog

Rocket Lab beat Q1 revenue estimates with $136.7M in space-systems revenue and $63.7M in launches, topping forecasts; backlog rose to $2.2B, more than doubling year over year. The company also announced its largest launch contract to date for Neutron and Electron rockets through 2029 and agreed to acquire Motiv Space Systems, while guiding Q2 revenue of $225–$240M. CEO Peter Beck emphasized strong demand in the space economy as the company gears up for its first Neutron launch after a January setback, and the stock jumped about 34% on the news, lifting peers in the space sector.

via CNBC|
#backlog#business#earnings-q1-2026
Rocket Lab's 30% Jump Signals Brief Edge Among Space Stocks—but Peers Lead YTD
business17 days ago

Rocket Lab's 30% Jump Signals Brief Edge Among Space Stocks—but Peers Lead YTD

Rocket Lab (RKLB) surged roughly 30% intraday after reporting Q1 FY2026 revenue of $200.35M (+64% YoY, beating estimates) and a backlog of $2.2B on 31 Electron/HASTE contracts and five Neutron missions, plus a Raytheon Space Based Interceptor win; Q2 revenue guidance is $225–$240M. Intuitive Machines (LUNR) rose about 21% on strong 2026 guidance and the Lanteris acquisition, while Planet Labs (PL) gained around 10% and leads YTD; by absolute intraday performance RKLB outpaced peers, though PL and LUNR remain ahead on the year. The space-equipment market remains sensitive to defense demand and upcoming catalysts like Neutron's debut, with some risk factors like insider stock sales by RKLB executives looming in assessing longer-term prospects.

via 24/7 Wall St.|
#business#intuitive-machines#lunr
Rocket Lab lands its largest contract yet and buys Motiv Space Systems
business18 days ago

Rocket Lab lands its largest contract yet and buys Motiv Space Systems

Rocket Lab announced its largest launch contract to date, securing five Neutron/Electron launches for 2026–2029 with a confidential customer, and revealed plans to acquire Motiv Space Systems to form Rocket Lab Robotics. CEO Peter Beck said pricing will stay in line with the company’s commercial rates and that Neutron demand is filling the manifest. The Motiv deal boosts in-house robotics and subsystems production (including solar array drives) and supports Rocket Lab’s push toward vertical integration and Mars/Moon mission capabilities, while the company remains cautious about Artemis visibility and aims to play a supporting role.

via SpaceNews|
#archimedes-engine#business#motiv-space-systems
Rocket Lab Soars After Q1 Beat as Stifel Flags Long-Term Buy Opportunity
business18 days ago

Rocket Lab Soars After Q1 Beat as Stifel Flags Long-Term Buy Opportunity

Rocket Lab jumped ~26% after a blowout Q1: revenue $200.3M and gross profit $76.5M, beating expectations; Q2 revenue guidance of $225–$240M topped estimates, with a backlog near $2.2B and Neutron on track for late 2026. Strength across Launch and Space Systems and new contracts underpin growth, and Stifel’s Erik Rasmussen reiterated a Buy with a $110 target, citing high barriers to entry and limited competition as reasons for a long-term premium.

via TipRanks|
#business#earnings#revenue-guidance
Firefly’s Alpha Block 2 targets summer debut as SpaceX pivots to Starship and hits booster-landing milestone
technology18 days ago

Firefly’s Alpha Block 2 targets summer debut as SpaceX pivots to Starship and hits booster-landing milestone

Rocket Report highlights Firefly Aerospace moving Alpha Block 2 toward a summer debut with reliability upgrades after earlier flight issues; Orbex collapsed amid funding troubles; Rocket Lab posted a Q1 2026 revenue record with a growing backlog and Mynaric acquisition; SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch cadence eases as the company shifts focus to Starship and retools Cape Canaveral’s LC-39A; ESA Harmony work continues with Vega C while P160C upgrade timing remains uncertain; Purdue awards SpaceX’s booster-landing team the Neil Armstrong Space Prize for impact to humanity; Nayuta Space pursues the Xuanniao-R with aerodynamic recovery; SpaceX notches a record of 268 consecutive booster landings as Starship V3 progresses toward mid-May readiness; Starbase noise concerns trigger a South Texas lawsuit; next launches are May 11–12.

via Ars Technica|
#alpha-block-2#falcon-9#rocket-lab
Rocket Lab launches eight satellites for JAXA, including origami-fold antenna
space-exploration1 month ago

Rocket Lab launches eight satellites for JAXA, including origami-fold antenna

Rocket Lab’s 79th Electron launch lifted off from New Zealand on April 22, deploying eight satellites for Japan’s JAXA as part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program. The mission, Kakushin Rising, includes educational smallsats, an ocean-monitoring satellite, a multispectral-camera demonstration, and a deployable origami antenna that unfurls to 25 times its packed size. The payloads were placed into a ~540 km low Earth orbit about an hour after liftoff, following JAXA’s earlier RAISE‑4 mission.

via Space|
#electron#jaxa#kakushin-rising
SpaceX IPO Set to Redefine Space Stocks: 6 Infrastructure Winners to Watch
business1 month ago

SpaceX IPO Set to Redefine Space Stocks: 6 Infrastructure Winners to Watch

SpaceX has confidentially filed for an IPO targeting a valuation above $2 trillion, a move that could reprice the entire space economy. Morgan Stanley’s Space 60 identifies six infrastructure-focused winners tightly tied to the orbital economy: Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile, Planet Labs, Intuitive Machines, Redwire, and BlackSky. Among them, Rocket Lab is highlighted as the standout due to its vertical integration across launch vehicles, spacecraft systems, and orbital infrastructure. The SpaceX listing is expected to boost demand for space-infrastructure plays—connectivity, Earth observation, lunar delivery, and related services—more than diversified aerospace names.

via 24/7 Wall St.|
#ast-spacemobile#business#intuitive-machines
Rocket Lab lands Pentagon deal to run 20 hypersonic tests with HASTE
military2 months ago

Rocket Lab lands Pentagon deal to run 20 hypersonic tests with HASTE

Rocket Lab won a $190 million Pentagon contract to conduct 20 hypersonic flight tests over four years using its HASTE suborbital variant of the Electron rocket, enabling payloads to experience Mach 5+ conditions before release. The MACH-TB 2.0 program aims to accelerate hypersonic testing by leveraging commercial launchers, complementing constrained government test infrastructure; Rocket Lab’s backlog now exceeds 70 missions.

via SpaceNews|
#haste#hypersonic#mach-tb-20
Defense-Driven Turnaround Reframes Rocket Lab's Growth Story
investing2 months ago

Defense-Driven Turnaround Reframes Rocket Lab's Growth Story

Rocket Lab's revenue mix is moving toward defense-related programs, with Space Systems delivering a large portion of Q4 revenue and the backlog expanding to $1.85 billion. A delay of the Neutron program to late 2026 adds near-term execution risk, while the stock trades around 52x 2026 sales, reflecting lofty growth expectations as management targets revenue growth from roughly $850 million to about $3.7 billion over the next five years.

via Seeking Alpha|
#backlog#defense-revenue#investing