NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 10:17 ET — Regular session
- Rocket Lab shares rose about 2.4% in early New York trading, recovering some of Friday’s sharp drop.
- Investors continued to focus on the company’s $816 million Space Development Agency satellite award signed earlier this month.
- Broader U.S. indexes slipped as heavyweight tech stocks retreated in holiday-thinned trading.
Rocket Lab Corp shares rose 2.4% to $72.36 by 10:11 a.m. ET on Monday, a bounce after last week’s sharp swings.
The move matters because Rocket Lab’s stock has been whipsawed by defense-contract headlines into year-end, a period when thin volumes can exaggerate price moves. Shares jumped 17.7% on Dec. 19 and nearly 10% on Dec. 22 before sliding 8.5% on Friday, historical pricing showed.
Investors are still digesting what the company’s latest Space Development Agency award could mean for Rocket Lab’s push beyond its small-launch roots into higher-value national security satellite work. The company builds and launches the Electron rocket and sells spacecraft and satellite components.
Rocket Lab ended Friday at $70.65 after hitting an intraday high of $79.83 on Dec. 24, near a record, according to historical quotes.
A Dec. 17 agreement with the Space Development Agency carries a total value of $816 million, including a $806 million base and $10 million of options, a regulatory filing showed. Work begins immediately, with final delivery of the satellites for launch expected in 2029.
The agreement allows either party to terminate “for convenience,” a provision that can let a customer end a contract without alleging breach, subject to conditions in the agreement, the filing said. SEC
The satellite win is part of a larger Space Development Agency push. The agency said it reached agreements worth about $3.5 billion collectively with Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman and Rocket Lab to build 72 infrared satellites, with each supplier contracted for 18 spacecraft.
The contracts are fixed-price, meaning the contractor agrees to deliver work for a set amount, leaving cost overruns more likely to pressure margins. The satellites are expected to be launched into low-Earth orbit in 2029, Reuters reported.
Rocket Lab said the Tracking Layer satellites will carry its Phoenix infrared sensor payload and its StarLite space protection sensors, and it flagged additional subsystem opportunities that “could take the total capture value to approximately $1 billion.” GlobeNewswire
“Rocket Lab is honored to play a role in enabling this,” founder and CEO Peter Beck said in the Dec. 19 release. GlobeNewswire
Rocket Lab’s gain came as U.S. indexes slipped. The Nasdaq Composite was down about 0.6% around 9:35 a.m. ET as technology shares pulled back, Reuters reported.
Traders are now watching whether Rocket Lab can hold above the $70 area — near Friday’s close — while the stock remains below last week’s $79.83 intraday peak.
Next catalysts include quarterly results expected in late February, with MarketBeat estimating Feb. 26 after the market close and noting the company has not confirmed a date. Launch trackers list Rocket Lab’s next Electron mission in January 2026, though schedules are subject to change.
