Key Highlights

  • Rocket Lab achieved Q1 revenue of $200.3M, representing a 63.5% year-over-year increase and surpassing Wall Street’s $190M projection.
  • Gross profit reached $76.5M, exceeding analyst expectations of $73M.
  • The company’s Q2 revenue guidance of $225M–$240M significantly exceeds analyst projections of $205M.
  • Contract backlog reached an all-time high of $2.2B, marking a 20.2% increase from the previous quarter.
  • Recent contract wins feature the Golden Dome Space Based Interceptor initiative with Raytheon, hypersonic testing missions for Anduril, and an agreement to purchase robotics company Motiv Space Systems.

Shares of Rocket Lab (RKLB) climbed 7.5% during premarket hours to $84.53 following the company’s announcement of exceptional quarterly financial results and multiple strategic contract awards on Thursday.


RKLB Stock Card
Rocket Lab USA, Inc., RKLB

The company delivered Q1 revenue of $200.3 million, exceeding analyst consensus estimates of approximately $190 million. Gross profit totaled $76.5 million, similarly outperforming the projected $73 million.

Comparing year-over-year performance, Rocket Lab generated $122.6 million in revenue and $35.2 million in gross profit during the same quarter last year. This represents a remarkable 63.5% revenue increase over a twelve-month period.

The company achieved a GAAP gross margin of 38.2%, setting a new company record.

Shares had already climbed more than 250% during the preceding twelve months before this earnings announcement. Thursday’s premarket movement extends that impressive performance.

Forward Outlook Exceeds Projections

Rocket Lab issued Q2 revenue guidance ranging from $225 million to $240 million. Analyst expectations stood at $205 million, meaning the guidance midpoint surpasses consensus by approximately $27 million.

The company projects non-GAAP gross margins for Q2 will land between 38% and 40%.

Rocket Lab closed Q1 with a record contract backlog of $2.2 billion, representing a 20.2% sequential increase. The company maintains over $2 billion in total liquidity.

During the first quarter, Rocket Lab secured 31 new Electron and HASTE launch agreements, alongside five dedicated Neutron missions. The company reports higher launch sales in Q1 2026 compared to the entirety of 2025. Its total launch manifest currently includes more than 70 contracted missions.

Strategic Deals and Company Expansion

Rocket Lab earned selection to participate in the Department of War’s Space Based Interceptor initiative, which forms part of President Trump’s Golden Dome for America program, working alongside Raytheon.

Anduril has chosen Rocket Lab to conduct hypersonic weapons testing missions through the MACH-TB program, which the company characterized as a record-breaking contract.

The company completed its acquisition of Mynaric AG, a laser optical communications specialist that establishes Rocket Lab’s inaugural European presence.

Rocket Lab finalized a binding agreement to purchase Motiv Space Systems, a robotics specialist with proven Mars mission hardware. This acquisition aims to internalize solar array drive assemblies and additional precision manufacturing capabilities.

The company unveiled Gauss, a newly developed electric satellite thruster engineered for mass production, targeting both commercial operators and national security constellation clients.

Development of the Neutron medium-lift rocket continues advancing, with initial flight hardware integration currently in progress and Archimedes engine qualification moving forward. Rocket Lab aims to launch Neutron’s maiden flight during the current year.

CEO Peter Beck stated the company has become “already embedded in the most demanding and significant space programs of our generation.”