Overview
- Shares closed at $77.55 on Monday after a 10% jump, extending Friday’s 18% surge to cap a 177% gain in 2025, with trading volume about double the three-month average and a call-heavy options skew.
- The U.S. Space Development Agency awarded Rocket Lab its largest contract—$816 million to design and build 18 missile-warning and tracking satellites for the Tracking Layer Tranche 3 within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
- Rocket Lab completed its 21st Electron mission of 2025 with a 100% success rate, deploying satellites for Japan’s iQPS from New Zealand to set a new annual launch record.
- Analysts lifted targets after the award and launch streak: Stifel to $85 (Buy), Needham to $90 (Buy), and TheStreet’s Stephen Guilfoyle to $81, with about two-thirds of covering analysts rating the stock a buy and an average target near $71.
- Needham estimates the award more than doubled space-systems backlog to roughly $1.4 billion, with revenue recognition modeled at 10/40/40/10 beginning in 2026; Rocket Lab’s in-house Phoenix infrared sensors and StarLite protection subsystems underscore its vertical integration as Neutron’s first commercial missions are expected in 2026.