Rocket Lab Corporation - Common Stock (RKLB)

Shares of end-to-end space company Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB) are moving higher Wednesday after the company announced the acquisition of high-performance optical systems producer Geost.

Geost makes advanced electro-optical and infrared sensor systems for missile warning and tracking, tactical intelligence, and surveillance.

President Donald Trump once again revived his long-simmering "Golden Dome" missile defense idea, this time bringing Canada into the fold, but with a provocative condition.

Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB) shares are rising in extended trading Tuesday after the company announced plans to acquire electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payload development and manufacturing company Geost.

Here's a look at the lastest updates from Rocket Lab, BlackSky, Sidus Space and Redwire.

A number of stocks jumped in the morning session after the major indices rebounded (Nasdaq +2.0%, S&P 500 +1.5%) as President Trump postponed the planned 50% tariff on European Union imports, shifting the start date to July 9, 2025. 

Should you invest in the eVTOL aircraft maker or the reusable rocket producer?

The bad news is that Rocket Lab stock will probably go down again. That's also the good news.

While some companies burn cash to fuel expansion, others struggle to turn spending into sustainable growth. A high cash burn rate without a strong balance sheet can leave investors exposed to significant downside.

There's a catalyst coming soon for Rocket Lab. It's both bad and good news.

Rocket Lab's upcoming mission for BlackSky's Gen-3 satellite has a scheduled launch window on May 28, 2025. This will be Rocket Lab's 7th Electron mission and marks their 65th launch to date. Investors can gain exposure through ARKX and RKLX. RKLB shares down 1.47% premarket.

The selloff came as investors repriced risk across equities amid fears of persistently higher rates, sparked by soft demand at the 20-year Treasury auction.

Rocket Lab successfully launched 3rd mission for Japanese customer iQPS, delivering SAR satellite to orbit. Multiple missions planned for 2025-2026.

The company said four more launches for iQPS are scheduled this year, with the remaining two scheduled for 2026.

Large-cap stocks surged in the last week. CoreWeave, Super Micro, Coinbase, NRG Energy, Astera Labs, First Solar, Exelixis, Rocket Lab, Hims & Hers, On Holding and Gap were the top performers.

Rocket Lab is still not profitable, but at least it is growing -- hopefully in Europe.

The space race is still running, but already I see winners -- and losers.

Rocket Lab is a retail favorite that surged over 300% in 2024 and remains a top speculative play for investors betting on long-term growth in the space sector.