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USA Today
4 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Could this California company challenge SpaceX's Falcon 9? What to know about Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab has increasingly been in the news over mounting anticipation for the first launch of its upcoming Neutron rocket. Rocket Lab, a spaceflight company based in California, has spent years building up a reputation as a reliable launch service provider for small satellites. Now, though, the venture has its sights set on bigger targets: Procuring some of those lucrative government and commercial contracts that have long been the domain of Elon Musk's Texas-based SpaceX. Maybe you've heard about Rocket Lab's diminutive Electron launch vehicle, which the company bills as the second-most active rocket in the U.S. Or maybe you've heard about its next-generation Neutron spacecraft, which could soon be making its inaugural flight from Virginia. Whichever may be the case, here's everything to know for those interested in Rocket Lab and its future plans for spaceflight. What is Rocket Lab? Rocket Lab is a launch service provider and spaceflight company founded in 2006 and based in Long Beach, California. The company operates out of three launch pads at two launch sites, including one in New Zealand and two in Virginia at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Rocket Lab Neutron launch date Rocket Lab has increasingly been in the news over mounting anticipation for the first launch of its upcoming Neutron rocket. The satellite launch vehicle is central to Rocket Lab's plans to shift from small satellite deployments to missions with heavier payloads. But when exactly the Neutron rocket could make its orbital debut has yet to be determined. Rocket Lab continues to work through a checklist of requirements before Neutron can get off the ground for its maiden flight. That includes integrating – or stacking – the rocket stages and getting its commercial launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the company's first-quarter earnings presentation provided to the USA TODAY Network. The good news? Construction on infrastructure at the launch pad is on schedule, according to the report. Earlier in July, Rocket Lab also announced that the company had awarded a contract to shipbuilder Bollinger Shipyards to support the build of a 400-foot ocean landing platform named "Return On Investment." But the challenge for Rocket Lab will be in transporting the components of the Neutron to the facility, according to the website TechCrunch. The vehicle must be shipped in segments to Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 3 in Virginia, where it will be fully mated as a rocket. Could Neutron challenge SpaceX, Falcon 9? Many space industry analysts have said that Neutron could emerge as a credible challenger to SpaceX's Falcon 9 in the medium-lift launch market. Rocket Lab is developing the Neutron rocket – which already has contracts with the Department of Defense – for commercial, civil and military space operations. That includes satellite constellation deployments, cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station and interplanetary missions. The arena is one that SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk in 2002, has dominated for years with its Falcon 9 rocket – one of the most active rockets in the world. The Falcon 9 is routinely the rocket of choice to launch NASA astronaut missions to the International Space Station and is the exclusive launch provider for Musk's Starlink satellite deliveries. At 141-feet-tall, Neutron is smaller in stature than SpaceX's two-stage, 230-foot Falcon 9. But like the Falcon 9, Neutron is designed to be reusable so that it can launch more frequently. Its design features an integrated system that brings Neutron's first stage and payload fairings back to Earth as a single stage. Capable of delivering about a 14-ton (more than 28,600 pounds) payload to low-Earth before landing, Neutron is powered by Rocket Lab's newly developed Archimedes engine. Rocket Lab's emergence also comes at a time of mounting public discord between Musk and President Donald Trump. What is Rocket Lab's Electron rocket? Rocket Lab has already spent years reliably launching its smaller Electron rocket to deliver small satellites and other payloads to orbit for civil and commercial contractors. At 59 feet tall, Electron is capable of carrying just 661 pounds of cargo to space, according to Rocket Lab. A version of the rocket is also tailored for Rocket Lab's hypersonic HASTE launches. One of the two launch complexes where Electron can launch is right next door to the Neutron's new launch complex. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, the Electron has delivered more than 200 satellites to orbit and become one of the most frequently launched U.S. rockets, second only to the Falcon 9, according to Rocket Lab. In June alone, the Electron launched four times on both government and commercial missions, according to Rocket Lab. The most recent mission came June 28 when the Electron launched a single satellite to space for "a confidential commercial customer," Rocket Lab announced in a press release. The mission was the second of two launches from the same launch site in less than 48 hours, a new launch record for the company. Is Rocket Lab a good stock to buy? Whether to invest Unlike SpaceX, Rocket Lab is publicly traded. While Rocket Lab's stock is up 800% over the past year, according to Forbes, the company is not yet profitable. "A lot hinges on Rocket Lab's ability to evolve its revenue model and reach sustained profitability," Sasirekha Subramanian, an equity research content expert, wrote for Forbes. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@
Forbes
22-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
College Value Is More Than Wages, New Study Aims To Show
Community college building entrance. Students and their families often view college value in stark terms –whether it provides a return on investment. And with the high cost of attending college it is reasonable that we make sure college students earn enough after graduation to pay back loans they take out, or to make the time they spent in college rather than working, worth it. However, colleges provide vast benefits that extend beyond individual wages and employability that are harder to measure than an individual student's income a few years after they graduate. To help make the broader benefits more concrete, The Urban Institute, a Washington, DC-based research center, piloted a project aimed at helping community colleges talk about the value they bring to their communities in new and nuanced ways. The project is intended to provide colleges with new ways to demonstrate the broad social and economic benefits that colleges provide for the communities they are located in. Titled Colleges Contributing Value to Communities, the work seems particularly salient at a time when higher education is under attack. How Are Community Colleges Thinking About Value Beyond Earnings? For the pilot, Urban brought together senior leaders from seven community colleges to evaluate new ways of thinking about, measuring and communicating the value that community colleges provide where they are located. Community colleges enroll 39% of American undergraduate students, and are very effective at promoting social and economic mobility, as demonstrated by work exploring community college's economic development impact by researchers at Harvard. The aim of Urban's pilot project was to develop measures of value that go beyond whether students were graduating and finding jobs that paid them a decent wage. The early examples that participating colleges created show the broad range of positive community impacts provided by community colleges. Most community colleges receive significant funding from local property taxes, so finding new ways to show how those funding streams benefit more than just students could help grow support for these institutions that often serve as community hubs. Why Does College Value Matter? The challenge Urban is trying to address is this: it is simpler to calculate whether one student graduates and earns enough money to pay back their loans, than it is to figure out all the different benefits colleges provide for their local communities. Individual benefits are important, but historically higher education, especially public higher education, has been seen as a public good—providing far reaching benefits—that exceed the individual returns, like increased earnings, and higher employability enjoyed by college graduates. Approximately 70% of American undergraduate students attend a public college or university. Given that context, finding ways to measure the value of colleges to their wider communities and the country is just as valuable as gauging how well individual students do after graduation. Kelsey noted that one of the goals of the project was to find ways for community colleges to show how they improve their local communities in ways that benefit people who are not enrolled, as much as they benefit students. Some of the college presidents Urban worked with focused on creating criteria centered around economic development, but at a broader level, considering the ways community colleges serve as hubs for training to meet local and regional workforce needs. Other criteria were intended to measure the ways community colleges have increasingly become social service providers, helping to provide childcare, connect students with public benefits, and running health clinics for their communities Kelsey highlighted the reality that, 'Higher ed institutions do so much more for their communities that most people realize - and those benefits can go to everyone, not just those who enroll or work at the college. It's a place to vote, a place for cultural enrichment, a place to get a vaccine in a pandemic, to seek safety in a disaster, and much more.' What Do Most Americans Think About College Value? Urban's approach is in line with how most Americans view college. Eighty eight percent of Americans think that colleges should provide support to the community they are located in, as well as provide workers for the economy, according to the latest Varying Degrees report, a nationally representative survey from New America, that assesses how Americans value higher education. In addition to the social services that many community colleges provide, there was a focus on public safety and improving connection as dual benefits to the community. With one community college working to find ways to show that more training and education meant lower crime rates in the area, and another finding metrics to gauge improvements in mental health and social connections. As support for higher education has become increasingly politicized, efforts like Urban's might be one way that colleges can demonstrate the diverse types of value they bring to their communities, to insulate themselves from political attacks. Kelsey hopes that, 'A decade from now… college leaders have the teams, strategies, partnerships, skills, and data to be able to demonstrate all the different ways they provide value to their communities such that we swing the pendulum back from public divestment in higher educating to re-investing in it and our future. I don't want to overstate my case, but my personal view is our country's long-term success may well depend on it.'
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RKLB Boosts Neutron Plan With Ship Deal: How to Play the Stock
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) is making strong progress in the space services sector through a contract signing with Bollinger Shipyards (announced last week) to build an ocean landing platform for its upcoming Neutron reusable rocket. The 400-foot vessel, named Return On Investment, will be fitted with Rocket Lab's technology, including systems to support rocket landings at sea. The platform is expected to be delivered in early 2026. With 68 successful Electron missions and strong partnerships with NASA and the U.S. government, Rocket Lab is already enjoying a strong prominence in the small satellite launch market. With the Neutron project, the company plans to serve larger payload missions and thereby grow its services beyond small satellite launches. As global demand for satellite services and national security solutions increases, investor interest in the space technology sector is on the rise. Against this backdrop, the latest contract signing news may lead space-focused investors to consider buying RKLB. However, before making a decision, let's take a look at the stock's performance, growth opportunities, valuation, and potential risks to make a more informed decision. RKLB's shares have surged a solid 582.4% in the past year, outperforming the Zacks Aerospace-Defense-Equipment industry's growth of 46.2% and the broader Zacks Aerospace sector's return of 27.1%. It has also surpassed the S&P 500's return of 11% in the same time frame. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research A similar stellar performance has been delivered by other defense stocks involved in the space industry, such as The Boeing Company (BA) and Intuitive Machines (LUNR), over the past year. Shares of LUNR have surged 150.8%, while BA shares have risen 26.7%. Rocket Lab continues to build growth momentum through successful missions, strong partnerships and new product development. In June 2025, the company launched its 68th Electron rocket for a confidential commercial customer. This represented the 10th Electron mission, with 100% mission success so far this year. These frequent launches should support Rocket Lab's goal of completing more than 20 Electron missions this year, reflecting strong demand for its services and building trust among commercial and government clients. This, in turn, might attract more customers to select RKLB for their satellite launches and thereby boost the company's revenue growth in future quarters. Additionally, Rocket Lab is preparing for the first launch of its Neutron rocket, expected in the second half of 2025, to which the recent contract to build an ocean landing platform will play the role of a major catalyst. This should help Rocket Lab expand beyond small satellite launches and compete with larger players in the space industry. Let's take a look at RKLB's near-term estimates to check if that reflects solid growth prospects. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RKLB's 2025 and 2026 sales suggests an improvement of 32.8% and 47.7%, respectively, year over year. A look at its 2025 and 2026 earnings estimates suggests a similar year-over-year improvement. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The upward revision of its 2025 estimates over the past 60 days indicates investors' increasing confidence in the stock's earnings generation capabilities. However, its 2026 estimates have moved south over the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Rocket Lab offers strong near-term growth prospects, but there are a few important risks investors should be aware of. One key concern is the company's high operating costs, driven by continuous investments in advanced technologies like the Neutron rocket, satellite platforms, and various space components. These expenses often outweigh revenue growth, resulting in ongoing losses, as reflected in recent quarterly results. Another challenge is Rocket Lab's higher debt levels compared to its industry peers, as is evident from the below provided long-term debt-to-capital ratio of the stock. As the company continues to actively invest in the development and commercialization of new space systems, which are highly capital-intensive, its higher debt burden, which might cause financial risk during economic downturns, remains a concern. RKLB's current long-term debt-to-capital ratio is pinned at 49.25 compared with the industry's average of 46.51. In terms of valuation, RKLB's forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) is 24.36X, a premium to its peer group's average of 9.88X. This suggests that investors will be paying a higher price than the company's expected sales growth compared to that of its industry. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Other space stocks, such as LUNR and BA, are trading at a discount to RKLB in terms of their forward P/S ratio. LUNR and BA have a forward sales multiple of 5.79X and 1.87X, respectively. To conclude, despite its recent outperformance at the bourses and upbeat sales estimate, RKLB's premium valuation and high leverage raise red flags. Given these concerns, it may be prudent for investors to wait for clearer signs of stability, in terms of leverage, before making a decision. The stock's Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) further supports our thesis. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Intuitive Machines, Inc. (LUNR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rocket Lab Reveals Ocean Platform for Neutron Rocket Landings at Sea
The sea-based landing platform for Neutron rockets returning to Earth will support greater space access for national security missions, civil space exploration, and commercial satellite constellation deployments. LONG BEACH, Calif., February 27, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) ("Rocket Lab" or "the Company"), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today revealed details about 'Return On Investment', the ocean landing platform for Neutron missions returning to Earth. 'Return On Investment' is a 400 ft (122 m) modified barge that will be customized to enable landings at sea for its reusable Neutron rocket. Modifications will include autonomous ground support equipment to capture and secure the landed Neutron, blast shielding to protect equipment during Neutron landings, and station-keeping thrusters for precise positioning. The Company has acquired the barge and construction of 'Return On Investment' will take place throughout 2025, with expectations of being ready to enter service in 2026. Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket is a reusable carbon composite medium-lift launch vehicle being developed to meet the demand for single and multi-satellite constellation deployment, high assurance national security missions, and cargo to various Earth orbits, as well as lunar and interplanetary exploration. Capable of deploying payloads up to 33,000 pounds (15,000 kg), Neutron is being brought to the market at a rapid development pace on the foundation of Rocket Lab's industry leadership as one of the world's most frequent and reliable launch providers. Neutron can perform two reusable mission profiles depending on mission requirements. This includes Return To Launch Site (RTLS) missions for Neutron first stage propulsive landings at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 in Virginia. The second reusable mission profile, a Down Range Landing (DRL) maneuver, is intended to maximize Neutron's performance and will result in Neutron's precise propulsive landing at sea on the landing platform. Rocket Lab Founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, says: "We're working hard to bring Neutron online with one of the fastest development schedules in history for a new rocket, because we know medium-lift launch opportunities are limited and space access is being stifled. Neutron's debut launch planned for later this year will help to ease that bottleneck, and our new landing platform will open space access even further by enabling even more mission opportunities that require maximum Neutron performance." Rocket Lab currently expects Neutron to make its debut launch from Virginia in the second half of 2025. About 'Return On Investment' 'Return On Investment' is Rocket Lab's sea-based landing platform for Neutron, the Company's new reusable 141 ft (43 m) medium-lift rocket currently in development. Operated out of the U.S. East Coast, the landing platform is built upon a modified barge - the 'Oceanus' supplied by Canal Barge Inc., a New Orleans-based, private marine transportation company - and named after the Greek Titan Oceanus, the personification of the Oceanus River that the Greeks believed encircled the entire world. 'Return On Investment' will be customized with propulsion systems to maintain the platform's target position and thermal protection systems to conserve electrical and other support equipment installed on the deck. 'Return On Investment is expected to enter service in 2026. Images: About Rocket Lab Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, a family of spacecraft platforms, and the Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered over 200 satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab's spacecraft platforms have been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third launch pad in Virginia. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding our launch and space systems operations, launch schedule and window, safe and repeatable access to space, Neutron development, operational expansion and business strategy are forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "potential," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "strategy," "future," "could," "would," "project," "plan," "target," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), accessible on the SEC's website at and the Investor Relations section of our website at which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change. View source version on Contacts Rocket Lab Media Contact Murielle Bakermedia@
