Rocket Lab Corporation reports developments in launch services and space systems for civil, defense and commercial space customers. The company designs and manufactures Electron and Neutron launch vehicles, the Photon satellite platform, and spacecraft components used in missions for national security, scientific research, Earth observation, communications and other orbital applications.
Company news commonly covers launch contracts, mission awards, hypersonic test activity through HASTE, progress on Neutron, Space Systems products such as star trackers, and operating results tied to backlog, revenue and program execution. Updates also include defense partnerships, customer manifests, acquisitions that expand the space systems portfolio, and capital-structure matters.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) accelerated its Electron launch for the U.S. Space Force STP-S30 mission, moving liftoff to Dec 18, 2025 from an initial target of April 2026.
The mission, called “Don’t Be Such A Square,” will lift from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, deploy the first four DiskSats to a 550 km low Earth orbit, and test maneuverability, dispenser mechanics, and orbit changes using electric propulsion.
Rocket Lab said this will be Electron’s 20th launch of the year and 78th mission overall, and follows another recent LC-2 launch less than a month earlier.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) successfully launched its first dedicated mission for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on December 14, 2025, lifting off at 03:09 UTC / 16:09 NZDT from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.
The Electron mission, named “RAISE And Shine”, deployed JAXA’s RApid Innovative payload demonstration SatellitE-4 (RAISE-4), carrying eight technology demonstrations from Japanese companies, universities, and research institutions. This was Rocket Lab’s 19th launch of 2025 and continues the company’s recent annual launch record. Rocket Lab noted a second dedicated JAXA mission set for Q1 2026 and a dedicated European Space Agency mission planned for the new year, underscoring continued international demand for Electron.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) expedited a dedicated Electron mission for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and scheduled liftoff in under 24 hours. The mission, Bridging The Swarm, is set to launch no earlier than December 11, 2025 at 00:45 UTC from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.
The Bridging The Swarm mission will be Electron's 19th launch of 2025, and it now precedes the JAXA RAISE and Shine mission, scheduled no earlier than December 13, 2025 at 03:00 UTC. Rocket Lab said the rescheduling demonstrates operational efficiency, responsiveness, and flexibility while supporting a growing launch manifest and exceeding its 2024 tally of 16 missions.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) was awarded funding by the Canadian Space Agency on Dec 9, 2025 to develop a new medium-class reaction wheel targeting a minimum angular momentum capacity of 25 Nms. The device is designed to support 500–1,000 kg satellites and will be developed and qualified at Rocket Lab's Toronto facility. Rocket Lab will receive $999,951 CAD from a broader $14.2 million CAD CSA investment in Canadian space innovation and was one of 18 selected companies.
This work builds on Rocket Lab's existing reaction-wheel heritage across >300 satellites and follows its 2020 acquisition of Sinclair Interplanetary.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) announced the Hungry Hippo captive fairing for the Neutron launch vehicle has completed qualification testing and is enroute to Virginia for Neutron’s first launch.
The qualified fairing remains attached to Neutron’s first stage through launch and landing, opens to release stage two and payload, then closes to return the vehicle as a single reusable rocket—a claimed world-first for a commercial reusable fairing. Key metrics: 13,000 kg lift capacity, full-scale load test of 275,000 lb, opening/closing in 1.5 seconds, and structural tests exceeding 125% of expected flight loads. Hungry Hippo will be integrated at Launch Complex 3 ahead of static fires, a wet dress rehearsal, and Neutron’s first launch scheduled in 2026.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) announced the launch window for its mission “RAISE And Shine”, the first of two dedicated Electron launches contracted directly with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The mission will lift from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and the launch window opens on December 5, 2025 (UTC). It will deploy JAXA’s RAISE-4 single satellite to demonstrate eight technologies from Japanese companies, universities, and research institutions. A second dedicated Electron for the same JAXA program is scheduled for Q1 2026. This flight is slated to be Rocket Lab’s 19th launch in 2025, reflecting an increasing Electron launch cadence.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) completed two Electron launches in two days from opposite hemispheres, setting a new annual company record of 18 Electron launches in 2025 with 100% mission success. The Follow My Speed mission launched from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand on Nov 20, 2025 at 12:43 UTC (Nov 21, 2025 1:43 am NZDT) to deploy a payload for a confidential commercial customer.
Two days earlier the company launched from Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia — its third HASTE suborbital launch in 2025 and sixth suborbital Electron mission overall — highlighting a rapid, responsive launch cadence the company says rose 1,700% in less than a decade. More missions are scheduled before year end.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) said its next Electron mission, Follow My Speed, is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand during a window opening 12:15 UTC on November 20, 2025 to carry a single satellite for a confidential commercial customer.
The liftoff comes less than 48 hours after a successful HASTE mission from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, marking Rocket Lab's 75th launch to date and surpassing its prior annual record of 16 missions; this next flight will bring the company to a record 18 launches in one year. The company said the rapid turnaround between hemispheres will again demonstrate its responsive launch capability.
Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) successfully launched a suborbital HASTE mission for the Defense Innovation Unit and Missile Defense Agency on November 18, 2025 from Wallops Island, Virginia at 13:00 UTC/08:00 a.m. ET.
The mission deployed a government primary payload developed by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory plus multiple secondary payloads to test hypersonic and missile-defense technologies under DIU’s HyCAT program. Rocket Lab said the flight launched within 14 months of contract signing and was the company’s sixth HASTE mission since 2023. HASTE — a suborbital variant of Electron — can deliver payloads at speeds above 7.5 km/s and, combined with Electron, has deployed 200+ payloads for government and commercial customers to date.
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) announced its two Explorer-class spacecraft built for NASA and UC Berkeley’s ESCAPADE mission launched Nov 13, 2025, and began their journey to Mars.
Rocket Lab established contact and reports the twins are generating power and will enter commissioning with orientation, solar-array deployment, avionics and propulsion checkouts. ESCAPADE will loiter near Earth–Sun L2 until a fall 2026 alignment, use an Earth gravity assist, and is scheduled to arrive at Mars in September 2027, with first science formation planned in 2028. From contract award to launch the spacecraft moved from design to completion in 3.5 years, enabled by Rocket Lab’s vertically integrated supply chain.