Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab Corporation is a publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider. Its Electron orbital rocket launches small satellites and has successfully completed over 75 missions as of January 2026, making it the most prolific small-lift launch vehicle in operation globally. A suborbital variant of Electron, called HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron), was developed as a testbed to advance hypersonic technology development, while the next-generation reusable Neutron medium-lift launch vehicle is in development to support constellation deployment, interplanetary missions, and human spaceflight. The company is a supplier of satellite components such as star trackers, reaction wheels, solar panels, software-defined radios, composite structures, separation systems, and electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors, as well as flight and ground software. The company also manufactures satellite buses and complete spacecraft as part of its strategic vision to become a vertically integrated, end-to-end space company. Rocket Lab was founded by Peter Beck in 2006 in New Zealand. In 2009, it became the first private company in the Southern Hemisphere to reach space with the successful launch of its Ātea-1 sounding rocket. In 2013, it became a U.S. company, establishing its headquarters in Huntington Beach, California, before later moving to Long Beach in 2020. After establishing its United States presence, the company raised venture capital for the development of its Electron orbital rocket, which reached space on its maiden flight in 2017, and orbit on its second flight in 2018. In 2020, the company launched its first self-built and designed satellite, "First Light", which is derived from Electron's kick stage. The company is a major spacecraft manufacturer, building and operating satellites for commercial constellation operators such as Globalstar, as well as government customers like the Space Development Agency. Rocket Lab has acquired five companies: Sinclair Interplanetary in April 2020, Advanced Solutions, Inc. (ASI) in October 2021, Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC) in December 2021, SolAero Holdings, Inc. in January 2022, and Geost, LLC in August 2025. In August 2021, the company went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange through a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger. As of May 2025, the company had over 2,600 employees globally, with more than 700 based in New Zealand.