All articles tagged with #rocket lab
Rocket Lab is downplaying the significance of NASA contracts while simultaneously pursuing a GAO protest against the agency's $700 million Mars Telecommunications Network award to Blue Origin. The company argues the selection violates congressional eligibility criteria, but its public messaging suggests a strategic shift to reduce dependence on government funding.
NASA’s long-delayed Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN) faces a potential decade-long delay after Rocket Lab filed a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The agency awarded Blue Origin a $700 million fixed-price contract to build, launch, and operate a dedicated high-bandwidth relay orbiter by 2028. This move replaces the aging Mars Relay Network, whose oldest members have operated for over 25 years. The protest legally pauses all work on the MTN for up to 100 days, risking the 2028 launch window and pushing the mission into the next decade.
Top Wall Street analysts spotlight Oracle (ORCL), Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Meta Platforms (META) as enduring growth bets: Guggenheim sees Oracle as a decade stock with AI-enabled cloud upside and a $400 target; Raymond James’ Brian Gesuale assigns RKLB an $80 target, noting it will become cash-flow positive post-Iridium deal and benefit from backlog growth and margin expansion; J.P. Morgan’s Doug Anmuth upgrades META to Buy with a $820 target, highlighting frontier AI models, Muse and AI-enabled products as catalysts for multi-year growth.
Rocket Lab filed a U.S. GAO protest contesting NASA’s $700 million Mars Telecommunications Network award to Blue Origin, alleging the decision violated congressional eligibility rules and followed a punitive technical review. Blue Origin must deliver a single Mars communications orbiter by December 31, 2028, with operations by 2030, while Rocket Lab has touted its Explorer platform and Escapade as evidence it could meet the contract’s requirements. The move sent RKLB stock lower in overnight trading after a prior Friday close, contributing to a fifth straight weekly decline for the shares.
Rocket Lab has filed a GAO protest challenging NASA’s selection of Blue Origin for the $700 million Mars Telecommunications Network, arguing the decision conflicts with congressional eligibility criteria tied to 2024–2025 Mars design studies and the intended end-to-end Mars sample return mission. NASA has not publicly released a source selection statement, leaving the rationale unclear as to why Blue Origin’s Blue Ring design won over Rocket Lab’s proposal amid broader questions about development timelines and the contract’s first-fixed-price approach.
Rocket Lab said Sept. 11 it filed a protest against NASA's award of a $700 million Mars communications orbiter contract to Blue Origin.
Rocket Lab has filed a GAO protest against NASA’s $700 million award to Blue Origin for the Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN), alleging the decision violates congressional eligibility criteria and procurement standards; MTN is a Mars relay spacecraft slated for delivery by the end of 2028 and operation by 2030, and Space.com notes Rocket Lab remains hopeful it may build NASA’s next Mars orbiter despite the challenge.
Rocket Lab’s stock has fallen after a Neutron test delay, but a top Wall Street analyst still sees substantial upside: a record $2.36 billion backlog and over $1 billion in new Q3 contracts support a bull case centered on Neutron commercialization, Space Systems growth, and defense wins (Space Force/SDA). With a Street-high target of $150, the implied upside exceeds 2x from current levels near $64, while consensus targets hover around $111; risks include further Neutron delays and dilution.
MIT researchers and Rocket Lab’s privately funded Venus Life Finder mission—an autofluorescence nephelometer probe to study Venus’ clouds—has been delayed due to the Neutron rocket not yet achieving first flight. The launch date is listed as to be confirmed, pending rocket qualification tests and readiness. NASA’s heat shield (HEET) and other components are in place, with follow-on payloads like ORIGIN and even a Venus balloon being explored for future private missions.
Rocket Lab (RKLB) slid after NASA awarded Blue Origin a roughly $700 million contract to design and operate the Mars Telecommunications Network, while Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment bought about 504,799 RKLB shares across three ETFs. Retail traders blamed Neutron delays and recent insider sales for RKLB’s weakness, though ARK’s two-day purchases total roughly 705,102 shares worth about $31.6 million, signaling continuing institutional interest despite the setback.
SpaceX has petitioned the FCC to scrutinize Rocket Lab’s planned acquisition of Iridium amid a spectrum-interference dispute over Starlink gateways; SpaceX argues Iridium uses regulatory tactics to block rivals, while Iridium maintains its interference concerns and says coordination with SpaceX is ongoing.
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.
The Motley Fool highlights Rocket Lab's latest earnings and presents a credible scenario where RKLB stock could drop up to 50% from current levels.
Rocket Lab warned its Neutron’s first flight could slip to 2027 despite ongoing progress, as pad testing and a first-stage static-fire remain the biggest risks before launch. The company still targets delivering Neutron to the pad in Q4 2026, but the actual launch window is tightening as risk trades are made to enable high-cadence production. A new contract to launch Kepler satellites no earlier than 2028 underscores strong demand, even as the program carries a history of delays since its 2021 reveal (initial 2024 target, later pushed to 2025 and 2026). The plan is a gradual ramp-up (one, three, five cadence) driven by Neutron’s reusability and reliability.
Rocket Lab reported a record Q2 revenue of $234 million (up 62% YoY), with over $1 billion of new contracts and a backlog of $2.36 billion, as it announced the strategic Iridium Communications acquisition to become a self‑launching, integrated space company. Neutron development is progressing well, supported by strong demand from government and commercial customers, including notable Space Force-related work. However, the quarter showed a GAAP loss due to amortization, margins are pressured by space-systems mix, and free cash flow is still negative with positivity not expected until 18–24 months after the first Neutron flight; Iridium’s close is targeted for mid‑2027 with integration benefits and potential tuck‑ins ahead.