4–5 minutes

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab said May 7 it won new Pentagon-related defense business tied to the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative and to the expanding U.S. push to accelerate hypersonic weapons testing.

Rocket Lab, based in California and New Zealand, provides satellite launch services, spacecraft and defense-related space systems.

The company said it is working with defense contractor Raytheon to demonstrate technologies for the U.S. Space Force’s space-based interceptor program, a key component of Golden Dome, the administration’s proposed layered missile defense architecture intended to counter ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missile threats.

Raytheon is one of 12 companies selected by the Space Force as prime contractors in the space-based interceptor program, intended to deploy missile interceptors in orbit capable of engaging adversary missiles during flight.

Rocket Lab Chief Financial Officer Adam Spice said the company views the Golden Dome interceptor effort as “a very large opportunity, but there are gates that we’ve got to get through,” referring to program milestones required before companies can advance to later phases.

During Rocket Lab’s first-quarter earnings call May 7, Spice said the procurement model requires contractors to commit internal funding upfront in hopes of securing larger production contracts later.

“This is kind of an interesting procurement process for the government where companies like ourselves and Raytheon and others that are in the mix have to put some of their own skin in the game to unlock a potentially very large opportunity in the back end,” Spice said. “We think we’re in a good spot.”

The Space Force’s space-based interceptor effort is being structured using Other Transaction agreements, reducing the government’s upfront costs while encouraging rapid prototyping and competition among vendors. Hypersonic flight tests for Anduril

Separately, Rocket Lab announced an agreement with Anduril Industries for three hypersonic test flights using Rocket Lab’s HASTE suborbital launch vehicle. The launches will take place from the company’s Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, with the first mission expected within 12 months.

The HASTE vehicle, short for Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron, is designed for suborbital hypersonic flight tests and can support experiments involving speeds above Mach 5.

Rocket Lab has positioned HASTE to capture growing demand for testing systems related to hypersonic vehicles, driven both by Pentagon hypersonic weapons programs and by defense contractors developing next-generation missile and aerospace technologies.

The company said the three flights are internally funded by Anduril to accelerate development of hypersonic technologies for defense applications.

Rocket Lab in March announced it won a 20-launch contract to fly hypersonic test missions for the Pentagon. The company said its HASTE-related contracts now account for nearly one-third of its backlog of more than 70 launches.

3–4 minutes

WASHINGTON — A Rocket Lab Electron launched a set of cubesats sponsored by the Japanese space agency JAXA April 22 on the company’s second dedicated mission for the agency.

The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:09 p.m. Eastern on a mission called “Kakushin Rising” by the company. The rocket’s upper stage deployed its payload of eight cubesats into a 540-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit nearly an hour later.

The eight satellites on JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-4 mission were developed by Japanese companies and universities to test advanced technologies in space. Those technologies include a multispectral camera, sensors to detect electromagnetic precursors of earthquakes, and an antenna that unfolds to 25 times its stowed size using origami techniques.

JAXA originally planned to launch those eight cubesats along with a larger technology demonstration satellite, RAISE-4, on an Epsilon rocket. However, that rocket has been grounded since a 2022 launch failure and subsequent issues during static-fire tests of the rocket’s solid-fuel motors.

Because of those problems, JAXA signed a contract with Rocket Lab in October 2025 for two Electron launches, one for RAISE-4 and the other for the cubesats. RAISE-4 successfully launched on an Electron in December.

This launch came a few weeks after the previous orbital Electron launch, carrying a pair of European Space Agency navigation technology demonstration satellites called Celeste. ESA opted to launch Celeste on Electron because of a lack of near-term European launch options for the satellites and a May 2026 deadline to put their reserved frequencies into use.

“Two successful missions in a matter of months, deployed precisely where they needed to be on orbit, shows exactly why Electron is the preferred small launcher for national space agencies,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said in a statement. “JAXA is a world leader in space and it’s been an honor to be trusted with these back-to-back missions growing Japan’s aerospace economy.”

The launch for JAXA took place a little more than 24 hours after the suborbital variant of Electron, HASTE, lifted off from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia. Rocket Lab did not disclose the launch, codenamed “Bubbles,” including the customer for the launch or its outcome. The JAXA mission was the eighth Electron launch overall this year, including two HASTE flights.

2–3 minutes

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab has won a contract from Japanese radar satellite company iQPS for three additional Electron launches.

Rocket Lab announced April 9 it signed a contract with iQPS, or Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, for three Electron launches from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand starting in 2028. The companies did not disclose terms of the contract.

Rocket Lab has launched seven missions for iQPS starting in 2023, with five additional launches already on order before this latest contract. Three of those upcoming launches were ordered in October. The most recent Electron launch for iQPS was in December.

“Our expanded partnership with iQPS is built on our consistent execution across the many missions we’ve launched for them already, and we’re proud to continue delivering their Earth imaging constellation to space as we deepen our role as their primary launch provider,” Brian Rogers, vice president of global launch services at Rocket Lab, said in a statement.

Each Electron launch carries a single iQPS spacecraft as the company builds out its constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellites. The firm has a goal of placing 24 satellites into orbit by 2028 and 36 by 2030 to provide radar imaging with frequent revisit times. The company has relied primarily on Electron for launching those satellites, although a few have launched on SpaceX rideshare missions.

The next iQPS satellite launch on Electron is scheduled for May, both Rocket Lab and iQPS announced.

4–5 minutes

Mynaric manufactures laser communication terminals for terrestrial, airborne and space applications. Credit: Mynaric

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab said has secured approval from German authorities to acquire laser communications firm Mynaric, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for a deal that had faced prolonged scrutiny over national security concerns.

The Long Beach, California-based launch and satellite manufacturer said on March 30 that Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy approved the transaction under foreign investment rules, paving the way for the acquisition to close in April. Rocket Lab first announced the roughly $150 million acquisition in March last year.

The decision follows months of uncertainty around the proposed purchase, which had drawn attention from German officials and lawmakers wary of allowing a supplier of sensitive space technology to fall under foreign ownership. Earlier reports indicated the deal was at risk as Berlin weighed whether Mynaric’s laser communications systems — used in military and commercial satellite networks — should remain under German control.

The approval suggests regulators have concluded those concerns can be managed, even as Europe broadly moves to strengthen domestic control over defense-related technologies.

Rocket Lab has positioned the acquisition as a way to secure a critical component in the satellite supply chain while expanding its presence in Europe. Mynaric, headquartered in Munich, produces optical communications terminals that enable satellites to transmit data via laser links, a technology increasingly central to next-generation constellations.

“Receiving regulatory approval is an important milestone on the path to acquiring Mynaric,” Rocket Lab’s chief executive Peter Beck said in a statement. He added the company expects to expand its support for German and European space programs following the deal’s close. Laser terminals a cornerstone technology

Laser communications systems allow satellites to exchange data at higher rates and with greater resistance to interference than traditional radio-frequency links. The technology is viewed as a cornerstone of proliferated constellations in low Earth orbit, including military networks designed for secure communications and missile tracking.

Despite growing demand, such terminals have been in limited supply, with manufacturers struggling to produce them in high volumes at competitive prices. Rocket Lab said it plans to scale Mynaric’s manufacturing output, applying a strategy it has used in prior acquisitions to increase production and reduce costs for satellite subsystems.

Mynaric will remain headquartered in Munich after the deal closes, establishing Rocket Lab’s first European foothold. The companies already have an established relationship: Mynaric supplies its CONDOR Mk3 optical terminals for Rocket Lab-built satellites under contracts with the U.S. Space Development Agency.

The acquisition would deepen Rocket Lab’s vertical integration, giving it in-house access to a technology that has become a bottleneck for both commercial operators and government programs.

For Germany, the approval marks a balancing act between attracting foreign investment and preserving control over technologies seen as strategically important. Across Europe, governments are increasing defense spending and tightening oversight of cross-border deals as they seek to build more self-reliant industrial bases in space and defense.

4–5 minutes

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched the latest in a series of satellites for Japanese radar imaging company Synspective on March 20.

An Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 2:10 p.m. Eastern and deployed Synspective’s StriX satellite 55 minutes later into a planned orbit at an altitude of 573 kilometers and an inclination of 50.2 degrees.

This was the eighth satellite for Synspective, a Japanese company developing a constellation of synthetic aperture radar imaging spacecraft. All of the satellites have been launched on Electron rockets.

Four of the first seven Synspective satellites are in operation. Synspective aims to complete a 30-satellite constellation as soon as 2028.

Synspective will continue to rely primarily on Electron for deploying that constellation. The company signed a contract for 10 additional Electron launches in September 2025. With previous contracts, it has 19 Electron launches under contract through the end of the decade.

Synspective, though, is not relying exclusively on Rocket Lab. The company noted in its annual financial results published in February that it has a launch agreement with SpaceX for five satellites.

The company, which launched three satellites in 2024 and one in 2025, stated in its financial results that it expects to have 10 operational satellites by the end of 2026, implying the launch of six satellites this year. The company is scaling up production with a goal of producing 12 satellites a year starting in 2026.

Synspective reported total revenue of 6.14 billion yen ($38.5 million) in 2025 and an operating loss of 4.14 billion yen. The company’s revenue more than doubled from 2024, but the increase came almost entirely from government subsidies in the form of awards from Japanese government agencies. That included one from Japan’s Space Strategy Fund with a total value of 16.46 billion yen over several years to support increased satellite production.

The company is also part of a satellite constellation project for Japan’s Ministry of Defense. The ministry awarded a contract to Tri-Sat Constellation, a joint venture of Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Sky Perfect JSAT Corp. and Mitsui & Co., for satellite imagery data. Synspective will provide SAR imagery to Tri-Sat Constellation under a subcontract valued at 96 billion yen over five years.

Synspective, while primarily working with Japanese customers, is expanding in Europe. It announced in February an agreement with Airbus Defence and Space, with Airbus agreeing to buy Synspective SAR imagery. Synspective has also established a European subsidiary, Synspective Europe GmbH, based in Munich.

The launch was the fifth this year for Electron, including one launch of its HASTE suborbital variant. Another Electron is scheduled to launch March 24 carrying two Celeste navigation demonstration smallsats for the European Space Agency.

5–6 minutes

WASHINGTON — The failure of a propellant tank during testing in January will delay the first launch of Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket to at least the fourth quarter of this year.

In a Feb. 26 earnings release, the company said it was pushing back the inaugural launch of Neutron after a first-stage propellant tank ruptured during testing Jan. 21.

Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said the tank burst during a hydrostatic pressure test at a company facility in Maryland. “I do want to point out that this was unexpected and, ultimately, we had anticipated that this tank would pass qualification,” he said.

“The tank did meet its anticipated flight loads, but as we prepared to open up the test bounds and push the pressures and loads beyond this to understand the margins and the structure, the tank let go earlier than we expected,” he said.

An investigation traced the failure to a manufacturing defect that reduced strength in a critical joint in the structure, a finding confirmed by both engineering analyses and testing. The defect came from the process of hand-laying the composite tank sections, done by a contractor.

The company had already planned to produce future tanks using an automated fiber placement machine that promises faster production while eliminating any chance of creating similar defects. Beck said Rocket Lab will also introduce “some minor design changes” into the tank design that will increase design margins and improve the ability to manufacture it.

“Once completed, the new tank will undergo an extensive test and qualification campaign to verify flight readiness, and we’re going to take our time with that process,” he said. “The priority will always be to bringing a reliable rocket to market, even if it means taking a few extra months.”

That extra work will push back the first launch to no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026. Before the failure, the company said it expected to have the first vehicle on the pad in the first quarter, but had not specified when it would launch.

The company is continuing to work on other elements of the first Neutron and plans to use the extra time for more testing of those components.

“It just has given the other subsystem teams the opportunity to really fully exorcise all the demons, if you will, much more than they could have under the compressed time schedule that we were working towards,” Adam Spice, Rocket Lab’s chief financial officer, said on the call. “In some ways, the tank letting go will create certainly a lower risk test flight when that happens later this year.”

Beck, though, declined to say if the company could have achieved its previous goal of putting the first Neutron on the pad this quarter had the tank not failed. “The moment that happened, everybody just stopped what they were doing in a lot of senses to get onto the tank to figure out what went wrong.” Electron demand

While Neutron faces delays, Rocket Lab says it is seeing strong demand for its existing Electron small launch vehicle. The company announced Feb. 26 a new contract with BlackSky for four dedicated Electron launches of that company’s Gen-3 imaging satellites.

The contract brings the number of Electron launches for BlackSky to 17 since 2019. Beck stated in the earnings call that Rocket Lab sold more than 30 Electron launches in 2025, including flights of the HASTE suborbital version of the rocket.

He said the contracts cement the company’s position as the leading provider of dedicated small satellite launches.

“It’s very clear when smallsat operators need a dedicated ride to orbit, they come to Rocket Lab, and we’re proud to hold this title and look forward to expanding the record again further this year,” he said.

He contrasted Rocket Lab’s success — the company performed 21 Electron and HASTE launches in 2025 — with the struggles of other small launch vehicle developers, noting that no American or European company successfully flew a new small launch vehicle in 2025.

That included being almost dismissive of European startups developing small launchers. “They’re certainly giving it a good college try, but not having tremendous success, I would say. That is just how difficult launch is,” he said.

Only one European newcomer, Isar Aerospace, attempted an orbital launch of a small rocket in 2025, with its first Spectrum rocket crashing shortly after liftoff last March. Isar and other European companies are working towards launches this year, although one leading player, United Kingdom-based Orbex, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month.

Rocket Lab said it expects to conduct more than the 21 launches it performed in 2025. “We’ve nominally pointed people towards 20% growth,” said Spice when asked about launch plans for 2026. “I think that is a pretty reasonable estimate for where we see this business growing over the near and intermediate to maybe long term.”

A 20% growth in launches would mean at least 25 Electron launches in 2026. “We’ve certainly given the production team direction to produce significantly more rockets in 2026 than in 2025,” he said.