▲ S&P 500 +—%|▲ Stock Advisor +—%Join The Motley Fool
Are my headlines unoriginal? Guilty as charged.
But are they accurate? Yes, because this rocket stock has a commendable habit of doing one “biggest-ever” thing after another, clockwork! There are still two months to go in 2026, yet Rocket Lab has already notched notable victories four times this year. Depending on the benchmark you use, it’s delivered four straight “biggest ever” deals in a row.
And now here’s a fifth: Rocket Lab’s latest win came on Sept. 30, when it said that Japanese customer Synspective has ordered another 20 rocket launches to more than triple the size of its Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite constellation.
Image source: Rocket Lab.
More rockets, please
Rocket Lab confirms that this is its “largest-ever” deal for Electron rocket launches. (At least it is if you don’t count the 20 HASTE launches, with HASTE being based on the Electron launch vehicle.) And certainly, Synspective’s total order for 47 rocket launches makes that company Rocket Lab’s biggest customer.
Rocket Lab declined to disclose the launch price. But assuming the company is holding firm with its most recent advertised price of $8.4 million per launch — neither raising it in a market starved for launch capacity nor giving Synspective a large volume discount — then 20 launches should yield $168 million in revenue for Rocket Lab.
Rocket Lab notes that the launches will run from 2028 to 2031, thus averaging about five launches and $42 million annually over those four years. It will also boost the company’s total backlog of launches “beyond 100 missions” — or more than $840 million in future revenue.
RKLB – Rocket Lab
$50.84-$4.41 (-7.98%)
NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/16/26
Premium Feature
Moneyball Superscore79/100
Key data points
Market capMarket cap calculated using publicly traded s outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded s. Implied market cap may vary.$30.43B
Day’s range$50.37 – $54.87
52wk range$37.57 – $151.00
Volume24M
Avg volume19.7M
Gross margin34.11%
What’s next for Rocket Lab stock?
And Rocket Lab’s not slowing down. Still to come is the company’s first launch of a Neutron reusable rocket, capable of delivering 13 tons of payload to low earth orbit (LEO).
With roughly 40 times the payload capacity of an Electron, and a price tag reported to be just six times that of an Electron launch, Neutron has the potential to transform Rocket Lab’s business. A larger rocket will open new markets for Rocket Lab, serving customers needing to put larger satellites into orbit. A higher per-launch price should increase Rocket Lab’s total revenue.
At the same time, a lower price per kilogram to LEO should help Rocket Lab break into the market for large satellite launches, winning market among customers looking for prices below what SpaceX charges for Falcon 9.
What will that mean for the stock?
Not immediate profitability, unfortunately. For one thing, Rocket Lab announced Wednesday that it is postponing Neutron’s first launch into 2027. For another, few analysts polled by S&P Global Market Intelligence expect Neutron’s arrival to turn Rocket Lab instantly profitable even once it does start launching. After all, Rocket Lab only expects to launch Neutron once in its first year of operation, then three times in its second, and five times in its third — so it’s going to be a slow ramp-up in launch cadence, and Electron will continue to dominate Rocket Lab launches for years.
The good news for investors is that thanks to the pending purchase of Iridium, Rocket Lab will probably turn profitable (and free cash flow positive, too) in 2027 — with or without Neutron. Once that happens, it will become a whole lot easier to value Rocket Lab based on its profits and decide whether it’s a stock worth buying.
Read Next
•By Brendan Coffey
BWX Technologies vs. Rocket Lab: Should You Go Nuclear or Go to Space in Your Portfolio?
•By Daniel Sparks
Rocket Lab’s Neutron Won’t Launch Until 2027. Is the Stock a Buy 65% Below Its Record?
Stock Market Today, Oct. 15: Rocket Lab Pushes Neutron Launch to 2027, Stock Falls 7%
•By Scott Levine
Why Rocket Lab Stock Plummeted as Much as 16% Today
•By Rick Orford
5 Growth Stocks With Home Run Potential
Breakfast News: Chips Are Hot, Phones Are Not
About the Author
Rich Smith is a contributing Motley Fool defense and stock market analyst covering publicly traded and emerging companies in defense, space, aerospace, and other sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rich practiced international corporate law for Clifford Chance in Russia, and for the Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group in Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of William & Mary, a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a language certification from the International Institute of Russian Language & Culture in Tver, Russian Federation. The Globe and Mail once featured him as “one of the best stock pickers since 2009.”
Stocks Mentioned
Rocket Lab
NASDAQ: RKLB
$50.84
(-7.98%)-$4.41
Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s Latest Pick
—% Avg Return
*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.
Premium Investing Services
Invest better with The Motley Fool. Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool’s premium services.
Sumber Artikel:
Fool.com
