Rocket Lab (RKLB) Stock in Focus on Dec. 20, 2025: $816M SDA Satellite Win, Faster Launch Cadence, and Neutron’s 2026 Countdown
December 20, 2025 — Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ: RKLB) enters the weekend with investors re-pricing what the company actually is: not “just a small-rocket shop,” but an increasingly serious national security space contractor with an expanding space-systems footprint and a medium-lift rocket program (Neutron) nearing its critical first-flight phase. Rocket Lab+1 The near-term catalyst is straightforward: Rocket Lab disclosed an $816 million prime contract connected to the U.S. Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 program—work that puts Rocket Lab alongside legacy primes in building an infrared satellite architecture designed for missile warning, tracking, and defense (including hypersonic threats). Rocket