Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) saw its stock surge between 10% and 12% following a series of significant announcements, including the completion of a major acquisition and the launch of a new satellite propulsion system. The company's shares reclaimed their 50-day and 20-day simple moving averages after having pulled back roughly 27% from its 52-week high.
The key catalyst was the April 14 closing of Rocket Lab's $155.3 million acquisition of Mynaric. The deal, paid through a small cash component and approximately 2.28 million RKLB shares, brings Mynaric's laser optical communications terminals into Rocket Lab's portfolio. This technology is a critical piece of satellite infrastructure for data transfer and is already embedded in high-value contracts, including programs with the U.S. Space Development Agency. The acquisition also marks Rocket Lab's first physical presence in Europe and expands its ability to serve commercial constellation operators and national security customers.
Concurrently, Rocket Lab unveiled its new electric satellite thruster system, named "Gauss." Designed as a Hall-effect thruster for satellite maneuvering and orbital station-keeping, Gauss is built for high-volume production. The company has established a production line capable of manufacturing over 200 units per year, aiming to address a persistent bottleneck in the satellite supply chain where reliable electric propulsion systems have not been available at scale.
CEO Peter Beck stated, "Proliferated constellations are now the norm, but the propulsion systems needed to maneuver these spacecraft in orbit have simply not been reliably available at any kind of scale." The Gauss thruster runs on xenon (with krypton as an alternative) and features heaterless cathode technology for instant start-up and magnetic shielding to reduce wear.
Wall Street reacted positively to these developments. Citigroup upgraded RKLB from Market Perform to Outperform on April 14. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated its Overweight rating with an $85 price target. The consensus among 17 analysts sits at a Moderate Buy, with a mean price target of $79.85, with analysts watching the $78 level as a key technical indicator for further gains.
The company also recently completed an at-the-market equity offering, selling 6.73 million shares for gross proceeds of approximately $474 million, and entered collared forward transactions involving 7.45 million shares. These strategic moves, alongside the broader momentum in the space sector—partly fueled by SpaceX IPO speculation—have positioned Rocket Lab as an evolving player shifting from a launch-focused company to a fully integrated space systems and technology provider.
