Rocket Lab Lands $190 Million Mega Deal For Hypersonic Launches

Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) shares rose Thursday after the company secured a $190 million contract—its largest to date—for 20 HASTE hypersonic test launches under the MACH-TB 2.0 program. The four-year deal, led by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS), boosts Rocket Lab's backlog to over 70 launches and more than $2 billion across launch and space systems. The company said the first mission could occur within months. Rocket Lab has already completed multiple Mach 5+ HASTE flights with a 100% success rate since 2023. CEO Sir Peter Beck said the partnership will "strengthen America’s national security" and accelerate hypersonic testing. Rocket Lab has sold 28 launches so far in the first quarter of 2026, nearly matching its full-year 2025 total. Technical Analysis Currently, Rocket Lab is trading 0.20% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 5.72% above its 100-day SMA, indicating a bullish short-term trend. Over the past 12 months, shares have surged 269.97%, and they are positioned closer to their 52-week highs than lows, reflecting strong overall performance. The RSI is at 47.01, suggesting neutral momentum, while the MACD shows a value of -0.6587, with the signal line at -1.1530, indicating a bullish crossover. This combination suggests that while the stock is not currently overbought or oversold, there is potential for upward movement. Key Resistance: $77.50 Key Support: $66.50 Earnings & Analyst Outlook Rocket Lab is slated to provide its next financial update on May 7, 2026 (estimated). EPS Estimate: Loss of 8 cents (Up from Loss of 12 cents) Revenue Estimate: $191.05 million (Up from $122.57 million) Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $66.77. Recent analyst moves include: Cantor Fitzgerald: Overweight (Maintains Target to $85.00) (Mar. 13) Needham: Buy (Lowers Target to $95.00) (Feb. 27) Cantor Fitzgerald: Overweight (Raises Target to $85.00) (Feb. 27) Top ETF Exposure SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE:XAR): 5.66% Weight ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ): 4.97% Weight ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF (NASDAQ:ARKX): 7.81% Weight Significance: Because RKLB carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock. RKLB Price Action: Rocket Lab shares were up 1.47% at $70.50 during premarket trading on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Image via Shutterstock