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Rocket Lab
Aerospace

Rocket Lab Company Overview

Rocket Lab logo

Rocket Lab

● Active
Aerospace · Long Beach, CA · Est. 2006
SpaceLaunchSatellitesDefense↗ Website
$5.8B
Valuation
$600M
Revenue
2k+
Employees
2006
Founded

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company providing launch services, spacecraft manufacturing, and satellite components to commercial and government customers. The company operates the Electron rocket for small satellite launches and is developing the medium-lift Neutron rocket for larger constellations and human spaceflight.

Recent Press
5 items
Press Release·2026-02-26
Rocket Lab Posts Record Annual Revenue of $602 Million, Up 38% in 2025
Rocket Lab reported record 2025 annual revenue of $602 million with 38% year-on-year growth, Q4 revenue of $180 million, and a record backlog of $1.85 billion representing 73% backlog growth.
Product Launch·2026-02-01
Rocket Lab Neutron Medium-Lift Rocket Enters Final Assembly Ahead of 2026-2027 Debut
Rocket Lab's Neutron medium-lift rocket, a 43-meter partially reusable vehicle, entered final assembly in early 2026 with key structural components complete, targeting inaugural launch in late 2026 or early 2027.
Press Release·2026-01-15
Rocket Lab Sets Annual Launch Record with 21 Electron Missions at 100% Success Rate
Rocket Lab flew 21 Electron missions in 2025 — an annual record — with 100% mission success, including seven launches in Q4 alone, plus sold 28 launches in Q1 2026 nearly matching its entire prior-year total.
Press Release·2025-10-15
Rocket Lab Wins $816 Million Space Development Agency Satellite Contract
Rocket Lab was awarded an $816 million contract from the Space Development Agency to design and manufacture 18 satellites for the Tracking Layer, its largest single contract ever, supplemented by a $190 million hypersonic testing contract.
Acquisition·2025-07-10
Rocket Lab Acquires Geost for Up to $325 Million to Expand National Security Capabilities
Rocket Lab closed its acquisition of electro-optical and infrared sensor maker Geost in a cash-plus-equity deal worth up to $325 million, strengthening its space systems capabilities for U.S. national security missions.
Company History
9 milestones
Peter Beck founded Rocket Lab in Auckland, New Zealand with a vision to make space accessible through small, dedicated launch vehicles. The company began developing propulsion technology and the Atea-1 sounding rocket.

Rocket Lab Organization Structure & Team

Org Chart
2,000 employees · Click a leader to explore their team
1,900 across 12 departments
Chief Executive Officer
Peter Beck
Adam Spice — Departments
· 1900 people across 12 depts

Rocket Lab Financials, Revenue & Market Share

Annual Revenue
$600M
+78% vs prior year
YoY Growth
+78%
From $62M to $600M
Revenue / Employee
$218K
Annual revenue per full-time employee
Revenue Growth
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
$62M
$211M
$245M
$436M
$600M
Market Share
Small Satellite Launch (global orbital)
8%
share
Rocket Lab
8%
SpaceX
65%
ULA
16%
Arianespace
6%
Others
5%
$450B
TAM
$28B
SAM
$436M
SOM
Revenue Streams
Space Systems Components62%
Launch Services30%
Spacecraft Manufacturing8%
Business Units
Space Systems62%
Vertically integrated satellite component manufacturing business supplying reaction wheels, star trackers, solar panels, and separation systems to spacecraft manufacturers worldwide — the largest revenue contributor and primary growth driver.
Launch Services30%
Electron dedicated small satellite launch business operating from New Zealand (LC-1) and Virginia (LC-2), plus HASTE suborbital hypersonic test vehicle program for DoD.
Spacecraft8%
Photon spacecraft bus manufacturing and mission operations, with deep-space heritage from the CAPSTONE lunar mission and growing commercial constellation customers.

Rocket Lab Internal Tools & Processes

Internal Tools
12 departments
Propulsion Engineering180 people · 3 roles
Standards & Certifications
10 standards
Compliance frameworks, security audits, and quality certifications this company maintains.
Quality
AS9100D
Certified
Rocket Lab's manufacturing operations for Electron, Photon, and Space Systems components are AS9100D certified — the aerospace quality management standard required by NASA, DoD, and ESA procurement programs — ensuring rigorous process controls across its New Zealand and US facilities.
Regulatory
ITAR
Compliant
Rocket Lab operates in compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), maintaining rigorous export control programs governing the export of Electron, Neutron, and Space Systems hardware to international customers and managing dual-national employee access controls.
Security
FedRAMP Moderate
In Progress
Rocket Lab is pursuing FedRAMP Moderate authorization for its mission management and launch operations software platforms to support classified and sensitive DoD launch service contracts under HASTE and NSSL programs.
Quality
ISO 9001:2015
Certified
Rocket Lab's Space Systems component manufacturing sites maintain ISO 9001:2015 certification, covering production of reaction wheels, star trackers, solar panels, and separation systems supplied to spacecraft manufacturers across 50+ countries.
Quality
CMMI Level 3
Certified
Rocket Lab's software engineering processes for Electron flight software, Photon mission operations, and Space Systems avionics firmware are appraised at CMMI Level 3, required for DoD software development contracts including HASTE and VICTUS NOX.
Environmental
ISO 14001
Certified
Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 operations on the Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand maintain ISO 14001 environmental management certification, addressing Electron launch environmental impacts under New Zealand's Resource Management Act and NASA launch range agreements.
Security
NIST SP 800-171
Compliant
Rocket Lab complies with NIST SP 800-171 Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) requirements across its engineering and manufacturing IT systems, mandatory for Rocket Lab's DARPA HASTE, USAF, and NRO launch service contracts.
Regulatory
FAR / DFARS
Compliant
Rocket Lab's US government contracting operations comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) for its HASTE, NSSL Phase 2, and USAF Research Laboratory contracts.
Regulatory
SOX
Compliant
As a NYSE-listed public company (RKLB), Rocket Lab maintains Sarbanes-Oxley compliance with internal controls over financial reporting, reviewed annually by external auditors covering its US, New Zealand, and Canadian operating entities.
Environmental
RoHS
Compliant
Rocket Lab's Space Systems component products including reaction wheels, star trackers, and solar panels comply with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directives for European commercial spacecraft customers requiring compliant electronic assemblies.

Rocket Lab Interview Preparation

Interview Prep
Role-specific interview questions and keywords. Select a department, then click any role to prepare.
Propulsion Engineering· 3 roles

Rocket Lab Products & Competitors

Product Suite
5 products · select one to explore
Aerospace
Launch Vehicle
Electron
The workhorse of the small satellite industry.

Electron is a two-stage, carbon-composite orbital launch vehicle capable of delivering up to 300 kg to low Earth orbit. Designed exclusively for small satellite missions, it offers dedicated rideshare-free launches with high cadence and a reusable first stage program called "It's A Test" that recovers boosters via helicopter catch.

Use Cases
Deploying commercial Earth observation satellite constellations into sun-synchronous orbit via dedicated Electron missionsLaunching DoD rapid-response national security payloads under the STP-27RD and VICTUS NOX contractsProviding on-demand dedicated launch with 30-day integration timelines for New Space startups needing precise orbital insertion
No image
Key Customers
NASA
NASA
DARPA
DARPA
PL
Planet Labs
Competitive Intelligence
VSSpaceX Transporter Rideshare
THEM

SpaceX's Transporter program offers mass rideshare missions on Falcon 9, aggregating dozens of small payloads per flight into sun-synchronous and polar orbits at low per-kg cost for customers who can tolerate shared manifests and fixed launch windows.

EDGE

Dedicated launch — no shared manifest, exact orbital insertion, faster cadence

VSISRO PSLV
THEM

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is a four-stage expendable rocket operated by ISRO that has become a popular commercial small satellite carrier, offering competitive pricing and reliable sun-synchronous orbital delivery for international customers.

EDGE

US-based, ITAR-compliant, faster scheduling and contractual flexibility for US government payloads

VSExolaunch / D-Orbit
THEM

Exolaunch and D-Orbit provide rideshare aggregation and orbital transfer vehicle services that deploy small satellites from shared launch manifests on Falcon 9 and Vega-C, enabling precise in-orbit deployment post-launch.

EDGE

True dedicated launch with full schedule control — no co-passenger delays or shared orbit constraints

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