Rocket Lab: Poised for Lift Off?

Rocket Lab: A Space Leader

Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB) is a leader in the young but fast-growing space industry. Rocket Lab designs, manufactures, builds, and launches rockets and satellites. The company is one of only a handful of vertically integrated private companies that are capable of bringing payload to low Earth orbit. Currently, the company leverages its Electron rocket, a small orbital launch vehicle that achieved its first successful launch seven years ago. Since the January 2018 launch, the Electron vehicle has had numerous successful missions, making it the second most launched US rocket behind Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket.

Rocket Lab Growth Model

Rocket Lab has two main businesses: space systems and launch services. Rocket Lab’s launch services business offers customers a reliable and consistent means of getting to space. Rather than relying on large, expensive rockets, customers can launch satellites to space with the Electron rocket (which just recorded its 70^th successful launch). Meanwhile, the space systems business is where the company provides the end-to-end technology necessary to launch a satellite into space. Because Rocket Lab is vertically integrated and provides all the essential technology needed to launch satellites, customers only need to provide the payload (for example, a communication device or a scientific instrument), and Rocket Lab does the rest.

The Space Industry is Going Orbital

Outside of artificial intelligence, the space transport industry may be growing faster than any other industry on Wall Street. For instance, numerous companies are rushing to launch Wi-Fi satellites to space as the world seeks more internet access at higher speeds and in more remote areas. Meanwhile, governments are launching more defense-oriented satellites into space as modern warfare becomes more technologically advanced than ever before.

 In 2018, 452 objects were sent to space. By 2024, the number of objects launched to space soared to 2,849! (according to ourworldindata.com).

With the need for reliable space transportation soaring and very few companies successfully able to launch items to space, Rocket Lab is in the sweet spot. Over the past few months, the company has secured several large contracts, including one with the US Space Development Agency to launch 18 satellites into space for more than $500 million. While RKLB does not yet turn a profit, its revenues have more than quintupled since going public in 2022. As the company continues to scale, it should be able to turn the profit spigot on within the next few years.

RKLB Technical View

Rocket Lab is a member of a strong industry that includes SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS). Meanwhile, the stock is far outpacing Intuitive Machines (LUNR) from a price action perspective.Currently, RKLB shares have set up a textbook weekly bull flag pattern.

Bottom Line

Rocket Lab is in a strong position to capitalize on the booming space industry. By offering a vertically integrated solution for both launch services and satellite systems, Rocket Lab has become a key player in the commercial and government sectors.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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