Release Details

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2025-- Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today shared the financial results for fiscal first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said: “Rocket Lab has delivered a strong first quarter performance, with wins across our launch and space systems divisions reflected in our near-record $123 million revenue – at the top end of our guidance and a 32% increase year-on-year compared to Q1 2024. We also remain confident in our ability to execute and deliver on what’s set to be another strong quarter, with our Q2 2025 revenue guidance in the $130m-$140 million range – which would reflect the underlying strength of our increasingly diverse business within the current geopolitical climate, showing the resilience of our vertically integrated end-to-end space company business model.

“We’ve also significantly reshaped Rocket Lab these past few years as we’ve completed multiple acquisitions, announced our intention to expand into Europe, and entered new markets. To better align our legal entities with our business objectives and our U.S. Government security requirements for our expanding national security focus, we plan to implement a new holding company structure. This new structure will enable more efficient management and growth of Rocket Lab, while better managing our risks and liabilities. It’s a positive change that supports our further growth across the commercial, civil, and national defense space industries.”

Business Highlights for the First Quarter 2025, plus updates since March 31, 2025.

Launch:

• Successfully on-ramped the Neutron rocket to the Department of Defense’s $5.6 billion National Security Space Launch (“NSSL”) Phase 3 Lane 1 program. Rocket Lab is now one of only five launch providers and the only publicly-traded company selected by the U.S. Space Force as eligible to launch the nation’s highest priority national security missions. As part of the on-ramp to the NSSL program, Rocket Lab received a $5 million task order to perform a capabilities assessment demonstrating the Company’s approach to mission assurance for NSSL launches.
• Signed a Neutron launch contract with the U.S. Air Force to launch a rocket-based point-to-point transportation system experiment. The mission is scheduled for a return-to-Earth launch on Neutron no earlier than 2026.
• Successfully launched five Electron missions for three separate commercial satellite constellation operators in Q1 2025. As of today, Electron remains the world’s most frequently launched small orbital rocket, the United States’ second most-frequently launched rocket annually, and one of only two commercial U.S. rockets to have deployed payloads to orbit multiple times in 2025.
• Awarded a new HASTE launch contract by Kratos for the Department of Defense’s MACH-TB 2.0 program. The mission will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Virginia no earlier than Q1 2026 and is the first full-scale flight test awarded by Kratos under the $1.45 billion MACH-TB 2.0 program.
• Selected for two multi-billion dollar United States and United Kingdom government programs that make Rocket Lab’s HASTE launch vehicle eligible to compete for hypersonic flight tests. The two programs are the U.S. Air Force’s Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (“EWAAC”), a $46 billion program to develop new military capabilities; and the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence’s (“UK MOD”) Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (“HTCDF”), a ~$1.3 billion (£1 billion) framework to rapidly develop advanced hypersonic capabilities for the allied nation. Selection to the UK MOD’s program marks the first time Rocket Lab’s HASTE launch services are now available to the United Kingdom.

Space Systems:

• Announced intention to acquire Mynaric, a leading provider of laser optical communications terminals for air, space, and mobile applications. This transaction, if completed, would represent Rocket Lab expansion into Europe, with the intention of scaling the production of Mynaric’s optical terminals to serve a growing list of government and commercial single satellites and large constellations, as well as integrate the products within Rocket Lab’s own future satellite constellation.
• Expanded Rocket Lab’s space systems line-up to include standardized and highly-scalable products across space-grade solar power and satellite radios. These include the STARRAY family of customizable, next-generation solar arrays to meet the power requirements of small satellite missions; the expanded suite of Frontier radios for reliable command and control of satellite missions in Earth orbit and deep space; and next-generation space software for satellite constellation management.

Second Quarter 2025 Guidance

For the second quarter of 2025, Rocket Lab expects:

• Revenue between $130 million and $140 million.
• GAAP Gross Margins between 30% and 32%.
• Non-GAAP Gross Margins between 34% and 36%.
• GAAP Operating Expenses between $96 million and $98 million.
• Non-GAAP Operating Expenses between $82 million and $84 million.
• Expected Interest Expense (Income), net $3.1 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA loss of $28 million and $30 million.
• Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding of 514 million, including approximately 51 million of Series A Convertible Participating Preferred Stock.

See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for an explanation of our use of Non-GAAP financial measures, and the reconciliation of historical Non-GAAP measures to the comparable GAAP measures in the tables attached to this press release. We have not provided a reconciliation for the forward-looking Non-GAAP Gross Margin, Non-GAAP Operating Expenses or Adjusted EBITDA expectations for Q2 2025 described above because, without unreasonable efforts, we are unable to predict with reasonable certainty the amount and timing of adjustments that are used to calculate these non-GAAP financial measures, particularly related to stock-based compensation and its related tax effects. Stock-based compensation is currently expected to range from $13 million to $14 million in Q2 2025.

Plan to reorganize corporate legal structure

Rocket Lab today announced it intends to establish a holding company structure. The new parent company, named Rocket Lab Corporation, will replace Rocket Lab USA, Inc. as the public company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange and will retain the “RKLB” ticker symbol. Existing shares of Rocket Lab will automatically convert on a one-for-one basis into shares of common stock of Rocket Lab Corporation. Trading is expected to continue uninterrupted on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The transaction will be accomplished pursuant to Section 251(g) of the Delaware General Corporation Law and no action will be required by Rocket Lab stockholders.

Rocket Lab’s Board of Directors and its executive officers, including founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck, will continue in their same roles at Rocket Lab Corporation. Rocket Lab USA, Inc. will become a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Rocket Lab Corporation and continue to hold its existing subsidiaries and assets across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

The new company structure is expected to be in effect by June 1, 2025. As a result of the timing of the planned holding company reorganization, the company will hold its annual meeting of stockholders later this year, and intends to provide an update to investors on the anticipated timing of the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders following completion of the holding company reorganization transaction.

Conference Call Information

Rocket Lab will host a conference call for investors at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) today to discuss these business highlights and financial results for our first quarter, to provide our outlook for the second quarter, and other updates.

The live webcast and a replay of the webcast will be available on Rocket Lab’s Investor Relations website: https://investors.rocketlabusa.com/events-and-presentations/events.

About Rocket Lab

Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, a family of flight-proven spacecraft, and the Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 200 satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding our expectations of financial results for the first quarter of 2025, launch and space systems operations, launch schedule and window, safe and repeatable access to space, Neutron development and anticipated timeline to launch, operational expansion and business strategy are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of our website at www.rocketlabusa.com, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.

+ Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We supplement the reporting of our financial information determined under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) with certain non-GAAP financial information. The non-GAAP financial information presented excludes certain significant items that may not be indicative of, or are unrelated to, results from our ongoing business operations. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide investors with additional insight into the company's ongoing business performance. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures, and other companies may define such measures differently. We encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial information to the corresponding GAAP measures for the historical periods disclosed are included at the end of the tables in this press release. We have not provided a reconciliation for forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures because, without unreasonable efforts, we are unable to predict with reasonable certainty the amount and timing of adjustments that are used to calculate these non-GAAP financial measures, particularly related to stock-based compensation and its related tax effects. The following definitions are provided:

+ Adjusted EBITDA

EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA further excludes items of income or loss that we characterize as unrepresentative of our ongoing operations. Such items are excluded from net income or loss to determine Adjusted EBITDA. Management believes this measure provides investors meaningful insight into results from ongoing operations.

+ Other Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Non-GAAP gross profit, gross margin, research and development, net, selling, general and administrative, operating expenses, operating loss and total other income (expense), net, further excludes items of income or loss that we characterize as unrepresentative of our ongoing operations. Such items are excluded from the applicable GAAP financial measure. Management believes these non-GAAP measures provide investors meaningful insight into results from ongoing operations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250508522849/en/

+ Rocket Lab Investor Relations Contact 
Patrick Vorenkamp 
investors@rocketlabusa.com

+ Rocket Lab Media Contact 
Murielle Baker 
media@rocketlabusa.com

Source: Rocket Lab USA, Inc.