Rocket Lab USA Inc.

Rocket Lab Corporation announced a multi-year agreement to launch 20 new Electron missions from Launch Complex 1 for Synspective, carrying StriX synthetic aperture radar satellites to sun-synchronous orbit annually from 2028 through 2031. The contract is the largest commercial launch deal for Electron so far and lifts Rocket Lab's backlog above 100 missions, deepening its role in building Synspective's global Earth-imaging constellation. The deal reinforces Electron's position as a high-cadence small-launch workhorse and slightly reduces near-term lumpiness risk in the launch book, though the key near-term catalyst and risk remain Neutron test progress and ongoing cash burn. Rocket Lab's US$1.944 billion equity raise to fund the pending Iridium acquisition shows management leaning on the balance sheet to expand into higher-value space systems and communications, amplifying the benefits of large multi-year contracts like Synspective's while raising the stakes around dilution and execution. Analysts had already modeled revenue near US$2.2 billion and earnings around US$365 million by 2029 on the optimistic side, against a more cautious consensus that treats cash burn and contract lumpiness as core risks.

Alphabet rose 2% in premarket trading after unveiling Gemini 4 Argon, its most advanced artificial intelligence model yet, which the company said delivers improvements in cybersecurity, coding and complex professional work. Accenture soared 17% after fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $18.68 billion beat its own guidance of $17.75 billion to $18.4 billion and the FactSet consensus estimate of $18.3 billion, with earnings of $3.29 per share also topping expectations. Rocket Lab climbed 4.5% after signing a multiyear launch agreement for 20 new Electron missions with Tokyo-based company Synspective, which Rocket Lab called the largest commercial launch contract for Electron to date. Micron reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results, earning an adjusted $33.42 per share on revenue of $54.23 billion versus analyst estimates of $31.61 per share on revenue of $51.07 billion, though the stock fell slightly while the Roundhill Memory ETF gained more than 1% and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF advanced 1%. McCormick rose nearly 5% on third-quarter adjusted earnings of 86 cents per share and revenue of $2.02 billion, both above consensus, while Dollar Tree added 1.3% on a Loop Capital upgrade to buy from hold and Nu Holdings gained nearly 6% after denying it is pursuing a transaction with U.K. digital bank Monzo.

Rocket Lab launched its 97th Electron mission, delivering the 13th StriX satellite for Earth-monitoring constellation operator Synspective into a 559km low Earth orbit. The 'Owlright Owlright Owlright' mission lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 12:39 p.m. NZST on 26 September 2026. The deployment expands Synspective's synthetic aperture radar imaging constellation, which provides high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging of the Earth's surface. The flight was Rocket Lab's 18th launch this year, sustaining Electron's position as the world's most frequently-launched small-lift orbital rocket. Across a multi-year partnership, Electron has now deployed all 13 StriX satellites with 100% mission success, and another 14 launches remain on schedule to deliver the rest of Synspective's constellation by the end of the decade.

SpaceX has reportedly stopped accepting new reservations for Falcon 9 rideshare missions, betting that Starship will be ready to fill the resulting capacity gap. Elon Musk has said Falcon will wind down once Starship is flying reliably several times per week, but Starship has yet to demonstrate a tower catch and reflight of its upper stage, and DZ Bank started coverage with a Sell rating and a $100 price target, citing heavy capital spending, a $60 billion acquisition, and rising tradable shares as IPO lock-ups expire. Falcon 9 completed 107 missions in 2026 through September 19, suggesting the move is a strategic bet rather than a response to capacity constraints. Rocket Lab stands as the most direct beneficiary, with its Neutron rocket targeting the medium-lift reusable market Falcon 9 dominates; its second-quarter backlog reached $2.36 billion, up 137% year-over-year, with more than 90 launches under contract, though Rocket Lab has said the window for an end-of-2026 Neutron launch is narrowing. Rocket Lab short interest has risen to 7.6% of float as of August 31, 2026, from 5.4% since the stock's all-time high of $151 in late May, while hedge fund ownership grew from 43 funds at the end of Q1 2026 to 52 at the end of Q2 2026.

Yuanta Securities says the space economy is entering a major turning point after the International Space Station, the backbone of off-world scientific experimentation for more than 26 years, prepares to be retired around 2030, as demand for access to space from the private sector keeps rising, especially for medical research and the development of data centers in space. This is reflected in the number of projects approved for launch to the ISS, which hit a record high of 115 projects in fiscal year 2025, with nearly 80% being commercial research projects. The transition to the era of commercial space stations is happening alongside a sharp fall in the cost of reaching space, thanks to reusable rocket technology, particularly from SpaceX. Global pharmaceutical companies such as Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb are already using low-gravity conditions to study the properties of drugs, while privately held Varda is developing autonomous vehicles for experiments or manufacturing in orbit to return products to Earth. The space economy's market value is expected to rise from 630 billion dollars in 2023 to 1.16 trillion dollars in 2030 and reach 1.79 trillion dollars in 2035, or average annual growth of 9%, which would benefit leaders in space transport such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab, as well as Redwire, which specializes in equipment and systems for space operations. Rocket Lab recently won a 266 million dollar contract from the U.S. Space Force for a missile-defense test launch mission, plus another contract worth 397 million dollars to build satellites that detect and track targets from space. Although bottom-line profit may not yet be strong in this period, the revenue trend and the value of work in hand, or backlog, are growing very strongly, reflecting robust demand. The Bloomberg Consensus sets a target price of 3.66 baht per DR, which is seen as leaving room for further upside of as much as 50%.

Iridium Communications shareholders will vote on September 24 on Rocket Lab's proposed acquisition, one of the space industry's largest proposed consolidations. Rocket Lab shares rose 8% on September 21 to close at $69.89, their best single-day performance in nearly two months, before rallying another 2% overnight as CEO Peter Beck laid out his fullest public case yet for the deal. Beck said he "probably shouldn't have called it Rocket Lab" and should have called it Space Lab, describing the merger as creating a self-launching "tier-1 space power" that adds Iridium's satellite communications services to Rocket Lab's rockets and spacecraft. Rocket Lab has fully financed the acquisition through a $1.9 billion share offering, existing company liquidity, and an amended $1.7 billion term loan at Iridium, after initially securing $3.6 billion in committed debt financing from Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo. The transaction carries an $8.1 billion enterprise value, and the $1.944 billion ATM offering diluted existing shareholders, while Iridium's roughly $1.775 billion term loan will remain in place after closing with a guarantee from Rocket Lab USA. Following Beck's comments, Cantor Fitzgerald maintained its Overweight rating and $122 price objective for Rocket Lab, implying approximately 75% upside, citing Neutron's upcoming introduction and the Iridium close as important catalysts, with a targeted mid-2027 close still subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

Cathie Wood's ARK Invest bought 359,612 shares of Rocket Lab across three exchange-traded funds for about $25.1 million, while selling 16,422 shares of Alphabet valued at roughly $5.8 million through two funds, in trades disclosed Tuesday. The Rocket Lab buying follows the company's recently completed $1.944 billion share offering to finance its planned acquisition of Iridium, which is targeted to close in mid-2027. Rocket Lab is also approaching the expected debut of its larger Neutron rocket, and the Iridium deal would add satellite communications operations and recurring revenue streams as the company expands beyond launch services. Alphabet shares fell more than 1% Tuesday, while Rocket Lab climbed nearly 3%. The trades do not explain ARK's reasoning and show a continued increase in its Rocket Lab exposure alongside a smaller reduction in Alphabet.

Rocket Lab has secured $1.94 billion through an at-the-market share sale to fund its planned Iridium acquisition, replacing a planned $3.6 billion bridge facility and reducing its need for debt financing at the cost of a higher share count. The company also added to its order pipeline with a $190 million award for 20 HASTE hypersonic test flights and a separate $266 million Space Force contract covering at least 12 suborbital missions, and it was selected by Viasat to provide a satellite bus for a protected communications program. Rocket Lab has completed 96 Electron launches, including 17 missions this year. Raymond James initiated coverage with an $80 price target, citing growth opportunities and a potential path toward positive EBITDA and free cash flow by 2027 or 2028, though the company still reports negative free cash flow and operating losses. Shares climbed about 2% Tuesday as investors weighed the defense awards, satellite work and financing progress.

Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating and a $122 price target on Rocket Lab, implying roughly 89% upside from current levels, sending shares higher Monday. Analyst Andres Sheppard called the stock a good entry point ahead of two potentially transformative catalysts: the first launch of Neutron and the expected closing of Rocket Lab's acquisition of Iridium. Neutron, which Rocket Lab still targets launching later this year, is designed to carry roughly 13,000 kilograms of payload versus about 300 kilograms for Electron, and management expects each Neutron launch to generate roughly $50 million to $55 million, with Sheppard seeing the rocket eventually emerging as an alternative to SpaceX's Falcon 9. Rocket Lab has raised $1.944 billion through an at-the-market share offering, removing a major financing hurdle for the Iridium deal, which is expected to close in mid-2027 subject to regulatory approval and which Sheppard expects to roughly double the combined company's annual revenue. The company completed its 96th Electron mission on September 19, marking its 17th launch of 2026, and has another 15 dedicated missions planned for Synspective through the end of the decade.

Raymond James launched coverage of Rocket Lab Corporation on September 11 with an Outperform rating and an $80 price target, implying roughly 29% upside from current levels. Analyst Brian Gesuale framed Rocket Lab as an emerging, vertically integrated space platform spanning launch, spacecraft, components, payloads and optical communications, and projected a path to positive adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow by 2027-2028. The firm flagged two upside drivers beyond the core launch business: Neutron, Rocket Lab's medium-lift reusable rocket, which is now under testing with launch pad delivery scheduled for the fourth quarter and is expected to expand its addressable market in 2027, and its push into satellite operations and optical communications through its completed $155.3 million purchase of Mynaric in April 2026 and its pending roughly $8 billion acquisition of Iridium Communications, which would bring Iridium's operating satellite network, L-band spectrum and more than 2.55 million billable subscribers. Raymond James also cited substantial execution risk, including aggressive Street gross-margin assumptions, the complexity of transitioning Neutron from development to commercialization, and the integration risk of absorbing both Iridium and Mynaric, with the Iridium deal still seeking regulatory approval. On the launch side, Rocket Lab completed its 16th Electron mission of 2026 on September 11, launching an Earth-observation satellite into a 500-kilometer low-Earth orbit for a confidential customer from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, and added another Electron mission on September 19 to reach 96 total launches, closing in on its annual record of 21 set in 2025. Institutional ownership rose from 43 funds in the first quarter to 52 in the second for Rocket Lab, and from 31 to 37 for Iridium.

Rocket Lab Corporation is expanding its spacecraft component portfolio, commercializing technologies developed for its launch vehicles and spacecraft programs, including avionics subsystems, radios and batteries. The company says its flight hardware has flown on more than 1,800 missions, an installed base it cites as the foundation for broadening its product offering. Rocket Lab's strategy extends beyond launch services into the spacecraft supply chain, aiming to widen its addressable market and capture growing constellation demand. The Zacks Consensus Estimate projects Rocket Lab earnings per share growth of 81.48% in 2026 and 240% in 2027. The stock trades at a forward 12-month price-to-sales of 31.43X versus an industry average of 7.25X, and its shares have rallied 32.2% over the past year against a 4.9% decline for the industry. Northrop Grumman and L3Harris Technologies are also named as companies providing spacecraft and space-system technologies.

Berenberg analyst Michael Filatov issued Buy ratings on Rocket Lab USA and AST SpaceMobile, arguing that falling launch costs have pushed the space economy past $500bn in 2025 and put it on track to exceed $1trn by 2030. Filatov set an $83 price target on Rocket Lab, implying 33% upside, citing the company's vertically integrated launch, manufacturing and applications model, a record $2.36 billion backlog at the end of 2Q26 that was up 137% year-over-year, and 2Q26 revenue of $234 million, up 62% year-over-year and more than $3 million above forecast, alongside a GAAP loss of $0.08 per share. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket has made 95 launches to date, including 16 in 2026, and the company has pushed the first launch of its larger Neutron rocket to early next year, with delivery to the launch pad during 4Q26. For AST SpaceMobile, Filatov set a $92 target, implying 53% upside, pointing to its BlueBird satellite constellation, more than 60 mobile network operator partnerships covering roughly 3 billion subscribers, and a $1.3 billion revenue backlog, though the company's 2Q26 GAAP loss of $0.77 per share missed estimates by $0.48. Rocket Lab carries a Strong Buy consensus with a $110.13 average target, while AST SpaceMobile holds a Moderate Buy consensus with an $88.98 average target.

Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile both reported second-quarter 2026 results on August 10, 2026, with Rocket Lab posting $234.07 million in revenue, up 62.0% year over year, while AST SpaceMobile's revenue of $31.52 million missed consensus by 8.36%. Rocket Lab's backlog swelled to $2.36 billion, up 137%, with Space Systems contributing $189.5 million after the Mynaric and Motiv deals closed, and CEO Peter Beck called it another fantastic quarter. AST SpaceMobile's GAAP loss ballooned to -$0.77 per share after a $125.9 million charge tied to the BB7 launch incident, though its constellation now holds 13 spacecraft with roughly 20,000 square feet of aperture, and CEO Abel Avellan said the company is preparing to initiate beta services with select strategic partners. Rocket Lab's announced Iridium acquisition adds 66 satellites, 2.5 million subscribers, and more than $870 million in annual revenue, while its Neutron rocket, priced at a $50 to $55 million ASP, is targeting a Q4 2026 pad delivery, with Beck admitting the window for an end-of-year launch is narrowing. AST SpaceMobile has 60-plus MNO partners covering 3 billion subscribers, a preliminary $1 billion J-LEO award with Rakuten in Japan, and Block 2 satellites aimed at roughly 200 Mbps peak data rates, with Q2 capex hitting roughly $610 million. Both stocks have cooled, with RKLB down 22.56% over the past month and ASTS off 16.36%.

Rocket Lab Corporation launched its 16th Electron rocket of the year on September 11, 2026, a dedicated mission for a confidential customer. The mission, named "Happily Ever Faster," lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 3:28 p.m. NZST and successfully deployed a single Earth observation satellite to a 500km circular low Earth orbit. The launch marks Rocket Lab's 16th of the year and its 95th launch overall. Rocket Lab said its next Electron launch is scheduled from Launch Complex 1 for another commercial constellation operator before the end of the month. The company said Electron's regular and reliable launch cadence provides schedule certainty and dedicated access to space as global launch availability continues to strain the market.

Rocket Lab announced the production release of its Inverted Metamorphic (IMM) Apex solar cell, a next-generation product for space applications that achieves 31.5% solar conversion efficiency, weighs 40% less, and eliminates the need for germanium substrates, a material used in conventional multi-junction solar cells for three decades. Company President Brad Clevenger said the cell addresses rising material costs and supply chain constraints while offering faster production times and proven reliability. Shares rose 5% in premarket trading following the announcement.

President Donald Trump signed a memo Thursday directing federal agencies to dramatically ramp up commercial rocket activity, setting a target of at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, according to Reuters. Last year's total sat at 178 launches, already 10 times the 2013 figure, so reaching 1,000 would mean roughly a fivefold jump from current levels. The memo directs agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites, calls for a new federal re-entry site to be identified within 90 days, and tells officials to expedite permitting, speed up environmental reviews, and secure adequate wireless spectrum for launches. SpaceX carried out 170 launches in 2025 and deployed about 2,500 satellites, and the company said in January it wants to eventually field a constellation of one million satellites to help power AI data centers from orbit, while the FAA's chief said in May that SpaceX aims to hit 10,000 annual launches within five years. Rocket Lab offers a smaller but growing alternative and could see incremental launch volume as agencies push to diversify beyond a single dominant provider. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios framed the memo as a commercial-first approach, pairing the launch targets with a broader lunar and Martian push, and Trump wants American astronauts back on the moon by 2028 with initial Moon Base elements by 2030.

Rocket Lab has secured a prime position on the US Space Force NITE-STAR IDIQ contract, making it eligible to compete for task orders in a nearly US$1 billion advanced space test infrastructure program. The company was also selected by Viasat to build a secure mini-GEO satellite bus for the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global military communications constellation. Both awards expand Rocket Lab's role in US defense and space operations and create the potential for substantial multi-year revenue opportunities in secure government space systems.

Rocket Lab has secured a $266 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to provide around a dozen suborbital launches, with an option for more, marking the company's largest launch contract award ever. The first launch is expected by the end of 2026. Earlier this year, the Pentagon awarded Rocket Lab a $190 million contract to support hypersonic flight testing, and the company is working with RTX on the proposed Golden Dome missile defense initiative. Hedge fund sentiment was mixed in the first quarter, with the number of funds holding Rocket Lab shares dipping to 43 from 45, though Marshall Wace raised its stake by 1,213% to $120.8 million and Tudor Investment Corp opened a new position of about $27.3 million.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said the company's planned $8 billion acquisition of Iridium Communications will expand its satellite communications business without directly competing with Elon Musk's Starlink or Amazon's Leo. In a CNN interview, Beck emphasized Iridium's L-band spectrum, which can penetrate bad weather and buildings, and said Rocket Lab could eventually provide something new and unique that hasn't been seen before. He also highlighted defense opportunities and the ability to replace damaged satellites within hours using a low-Earth orbit constellation. The news comes as Rocket Lab was onboarded to the United States Space Force's NITE-STAR program, a $981 million contract vehicle supporting space test and training infrastructure.

Rocket Lab Corporation successfully launched its Electron rocket to deploy the latest Earth-imaging satellite for the Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. The mission, named 'The Lightning God Defends', lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 1:04 a.m. NZST on August 21, 2026, and placed the next QPS-SAR satellite into a 575km low Earth orbit. This was Rocket Lab's 93rd overall Electron launch and 14th launch of the year, and the ninth deployment of a QPS-SAR satellite with 100% mission success. Nine dedicated launches remain booked on Electron by iQPS to deliver their constellation to space by 2030.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded five $12 million contracts under a $60 million effort to prove non-SpaceX satellites can plug into the Space Data Network backbone that SpaceX built under a $2.29 billion award in May 2026. The move comes as SpaceX completed its 100th launch of 2026, pushing the Starlink constellation past 11,000 satellites. L3Harris Technologies, AST SpaceMobile, Rocket Lab, Viasat, and Iridium Communications are directly positioned to benefit from the Pentagon's push to avoid single-vendor dependency in space. Rocket Lab's $8 billion all-stock acquisition of Iridium, announced June 28 and targeted to close mid-2027, would create the only vertically integrated public SpaceX alternative, folding in 66 operational satellites and roughly $870 million in annual revenue.

Rocket Lab Corporation announced on Tuesday its onboarding into the U.S. Space Force’s Space Data Network, or SDN, Consortium, expanding vendor diversity for the Space Data Network Backbone, or SDN-B, a key initiative to develop a secure, high-speed global satellite communications network for military operations. In addition, Rocket Lab has been competitively awarded two delivery orders totaling a combined value of $12M to support the SDN-B program to demonstrate interoperability of secure optical communications in space. Under the delivery orders, Rocket Lab will leverage the company’s advanced capabilities to support the development of the SDN Backbone program, including the design, testing, and demonstration of key technologies to enable seamless communication between satellites and ground systems. Rocket Lab will also conduct an in-orbit demonstration using a Rocket Lab-built Photon spacecraft equipped with advanced optical and network capabilities to demonstrate interoperability. Rocket Lab is expected to deliver an operational demonstration for the SDN-B program in 2027.

Rocket Lab Corporation stock traded nearly 1% higher during Monday's premarket session as technology stocks gained. The company said Sunday that eight satellite platforms it built for MDA Space Ltd. successfully reached orbit on Aug. 15, the first of 17 platforms under a $143 million deal. Rocket Lab also entered into a replacement equity distribution agreement last week allowing it to sell up to $1.94 billion of common stock to fund its proposed acquisition of Iridium Communications Inc. and reduce debt. The stock carries a Buy consensus rating with an average price forecast of $107.71 across 27 analysts.

Rocket Lab reported second-quarter revenue of $234.1 million, up 62% year over year and 0.9% above analyst expectations. The company also beat EPS estimates and issued next-quarter EBITDA guidance above consensus, scoring the highest guidance raise among the 14 aerospace stocks tracked. Astronics posted the best quarter with revenue of $260 million, up 27% and 6% above estimates, while AerSale was the weakest with revenue down 33.9% to $70.93 million, missing by 12.7%. TransDigm revenue rose 22.5% to $2.74 billion, and Redwire revenue jumped 89.6% to $117.1 million, the fastest growth in the group.

Rocket Lab said eight satellite platforms it built for MDA Space have entered orbit, marking the first deployment under a $143 million contract covering 17 spacecraft. The satellites launched Aug. 15 at 9:12 p.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and Rocket Lab has established contact with all eight spacecraft, which are generating power and operating as expected. MDA Space is the prime contractor overseeing the replenishment of Globalstar’s existing satellite constellation, which provides direct-to-device communications and internet-of-things connectivity. The spacecraft are customized versions of Rocket Lab’s Lightning satellite platform, each weighing about 500 kilograms and built and tested at the company’s headquarters in Long Beach, California. Rocket Lab did not specify when the remaining nine spacecraft under the contract will be launched.

Rocket Lab reported record second-quarter revenue of US$234.07 million, a record US$2.36 billion backlog, and a US$397 million U.S. Space Force Flatellites contract, while advancing its Neutron rocket and progressing the planned Iridium acquisition. The company also raised US$1.06 billion via at-the-market equity, with capacity to sell up to US$1.94 billion more, to fund the Iridium deal and its M&A pipeline. Neutron's inaugural launch window may slip into 2027, and integration of Mynaric and Motiv, closing and scaling Iridium, and cash burn remain key catalysts and pressure points. Simply Wall St community members have 28 fair value estimates for Rocket Lab, ranging from US$16.25 to US$150 per share, reflecting wide disagreement over a business that is still unprofitable and funding acquisitions with multi-billion-dollar equity programs.

Rocket Lab said the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period on its proposed acquisition of Iridium Communications expired yesterday, clearing US antitrust review. The company holds a $3.6 billion 364-day senior secured bridge term loan committed from Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo, and intends to replace it with permanent debt and equity. Rocket Lab is asking lenders to let Iridium's existing term loan facility, $1.775 billion outstanding at June 30, stay in place after closing at what it calls more attractive rates than the bridge, though there is no assurance the consents come through. The equity piece is a replacement distribution agreement allowing sales of up to $1.94 billion of stock at the market, carrying forward the unsold amount from a May 20 program that has been terminated. Rocket Lab stresses no shares beyond that unsold balance are on offer, and if the deal falls through the proceeds would fund future growth and possible acquisitions instead.

Space stocks traded in split fashion Thursday after Intuitive Machines reported second-quarter revenue of $206.2 million, missing the FactSet consensus of $216.3 million and posting a wider-than-expected loss. The company booked $920 million in new awards during the quarter and ended with a $1.8 billion backlog, which helped limit the selloff. SpaceX fell 3.5% intraday, AST SpaceMobile dropped 3%, and Intuitive Machines was down roughly 1.6%, while Rocket Lab rose 1.1% after reporting Q2 revenue of $234.07 million, up 62% year over year, with a record $2.36 billion backlog. Planet Labs and Redwire held modestly green, signaling sector rotation rather than a broad space selloff.

Cathie Wood's ARK Invest purchased 292,873 shares of Rocket Lab worth about $23.4 million on Tuesday, doubling down on the SpaceX competitor after its post-earnings weakness. The purchase came after Rocket Lab reported second-quarter revenue of $234 million, up 62% year over year and a company record, but a wider-than-expected loss of $0.08 per share versus the $0.07 analysts expected. CEO Peter Beck warned that the window for a first Neutron launch by year-end is narrowing, though the company says production of the first-stage tank remains aligned with delivering the vehicle to the launchpad in the fourth quarter. Rocket Lab's backlog surged 137% to a record $2.36 billion, with more than 90 launches contracted, and the company expects third-quarter revenue of $250 million to $265 million, which would mark another quarterly record. Wood simultaneously sold about $20 million of Deere stock, highlighting ARK's continued preference for space and other disruptive-growth themes.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said the company's planned $8 billion acquisition of Iridium Communications will focus on space services outside the consumer broadband market dominated by Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos' Amazon Leo. Speaking on Rocket Lab's second-quarter earnings call, Beck said Iridium's L-band spectrum is the wrong kind for broadband and that competing would be difficult because the two most wealthiest people in the world are going after that. Instead, Rocket Lab plans to expand Iridium into satellite IoT, direct-to-device connectivity, positioning, navigation and timing, defense, aviation and maritime safety. Rocket Lab reported second-quarter revenue of $234.07 million, beating the consensus estimate of $231.35 million, with a loss of 8 cents per share versus the expected 7 cents, and guided third-quarter revenue between $250 million and $265 million, above analysts' estimate of $238.53 million.

Rocket Lab has agreed to acquire Iridium Communications, aiming to combine Iridium's satellite communications network with its own launch and satellite manufacturing operations. The planned deal is intended to expand Rocket Lab's role beyond launch services into broader space applications using Iridium's existing infrastructure. Both companies expect the transaction to reshape their positions in satellite services, with potential effects on how rivals compete for government and commercial customers. The key reference point is the agreed US$54 per share collar structured acquisition price and whether the transaction closes on the mid 2027 timetable, given the required shareholder and regulatory approvals. Investors can also track Iridium's quarterly dividend decisions, including the US$0.15 per share payout scheduled for September 30, 2026, as a signal on capital return while the deal is pending.