New York, Jan 13, 2026, 19:10 EST — After-hours
- Rocket Lab shares dropped 1.5% Tuesday but edged up in after-hours trading.
- The stock remains close to recent highs following a sharp surge linked to U.S. defense satellite contracts.
- The company is set to release its next earnings report in late February.
Shares of Rocket Lab Corp ended Tuesday down 1.5%, closing at $86.58 after fluctuating between $89.73 and $85.65 during the day. In after-hours trading, the stock inched up 0.16% to $86.72. The regular session saw roughly 21.6 million shares change hands.
Rocket Lab (RKLB) remains close to the upper end of its recent trading range. Over the past year, the stock has surged roughly 260%, swinging between about $14.71 and $89.87, according to data from Investing.com.
The reason this matters now is clear: Rocket Lab has become a momentum player in the public space sector, and expectations are climbing. Investors demand evidence the company can convert defense contracts and its expanding space-systems unit into reliable cash flow, not just bigger backlog numbers.
In December, the U.S. Space Development Agency announced Rocket Lab secured a deal worth up to $805 million to build 18 missile-warning, tracking, and defense satellites for its Tracking Layer Tranche 3 program. Alongside Rocket Lab, similar contracts went to teams led by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris, with total commitments hitting roughly $3.5 billion. Launches are slated for fiscal 2029. Acting director Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo said the constellation “will significantly increase the coverage and accuracy” of missile warning and tracking. SDA
The SDA contracts rely on Other Transaction Authority, or OTA—a Pentagon tool designed to speed up procurement beyond traditional methods. For Rocket Lab, this marks a broader pivot from its reputation centered on the Electron launch vehicle toward developing spacecraft and payloads for government clients.
Rocket Lab’s latest quarterly report showed solid gains, though the company remains unprofitable. A November filing revealed revenue climbed 48% to $155.1 million in Q3, with GAAP gross margin hitting 37%. Net loss shrank to $18.3 million, or 3 cents per share. CEO Peter Beck highlighted the figures as “record revenue of $155m at record GAAP gross margin of 37%.” The same update noted Rocket Lab expects its Neutron rocket to reach Launch Complex 3 in Q1 2026, with a first launch scheduled after qualification testing. Securities and Exchange Commission
Still, the trade carries risks. Analysts followed by MarketBeat set an average 12-month price target at $61.25, significantly under Tuesday’s closing price, despite the site’s “Moderate Buy” consensus rating. MarketBeat
Execution risk looms large: government programs often slip, hardware deliveries can be delayed, and a launch failure would quickly dampen enthusiasm. The stock’s volatility works both for and against investors.
Rocket Lab will report earnings on Feb. 26, per Yahoo Finance data. Investors will be watching closely to see how the Neutron rocket’s timeline holds up and when defense satellite contracts begin to impact revenue and margins.
