Rocket Lab USA Inc.Rocket Lab wins its largest-ever $266M Space Force contract for 12 launches, boosting demand for its launch services.
Rocket Lab Corporation announced its largest launch contract in corporate history, a $266 million multi-launch arrangement with the United States Space Force's Rocket Systems Launch Program. The deal covers 12 suborbital missile-defense launches from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, with an option for six additional missions. Despite the news, shares gave back early gains and closed lower, reflecting broader concerns over balance sheet transformations and industry liquidity shifts. The stock has fallen more than 55% from its late-May all-time high of $151, erasing over $45 billion in market capitalization, and is trading 14.88% lower year-to-date. The decline accelerated after the company announced an $8 billion cash-and-stock acquisition of Iridium Communications, which created merger arbitrage pressure even as Rocket Lab reported a 63.5% year-over-year revenue increase to $200.3 million in the first quarter of 2026 and a backlog that more than doubled to $2.2 billion.
Rocket Lab USA Inc.Rocket Lab wins its largest-ever $266M Space Force contract for 12 launches, boosting demand for its launch services.
Iridium Communications IncRocket Lab's $8B acquisition of Iridium creates merger arbitrage pressure, negatively impacting Iridium's stock.