RKLB stock: Rocket Lab stock surges over 7% today after securing JAXA launch deal
RKLB Shares Soar After Rocket Lab and JAXA Partner for Two-Electron Mission
The contract covers two missions that will launch from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The first, scheduled for December 2025, will deploy JAXA’s RApid Innovative payload demonstration SatellitE-4 (RAISE-4), according to an Investing.com report.
The second mission, planned for 2026, will carry eight separate spacecraft, including educational small satellites, an ocean monitoring satellite, a demonstration satellite for ultra-small multispectral cameras, and a deployable antenna that can be tightly packed using origami folding techniques and deployed up to 25 times its size, according to Rocket Lab.
Both launches are part of JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program, which focuses on testing new technologies developed by private companies, universities and research institutions across Japan.
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Sir Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, said: “It is an incredible honor to be appointed to advance Jaxa’s innovation and development goals for Japan. These missions are a testament to Electron’s global importance – supporting the growth of Japan’s space industry with the launch of a US rocket from a New Zealand launch site – and delivering them, as quoted by Rocket Lab We are proud to be appointed.” “Japanese satellite operators have long turned to Electron for its reliability and responsiveness since its initial launches, whether building the constellation for Japan’s new wave of commercial satellite operators or special missions requiring responsive mission planning and highly precise payload distribution,” Beck added. ALSO READ: Emotional moment! Watch Maria Corina Machado’s reaction when she learned she won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
Rocket Lab Expands Japan’s Role in Space Industry
Rocket Lab has become a major player in Japan’s growing space sector, with more than two dozen special Electron missions booked through the end of the decade. The company has completed several successful missions for Japanese satellite operators this year, including constellation deployments for iQPS and Synspective.
In the past, Rocket Lab has also supported other Japanese space initiatives, including Astroscale-Japan’s orbital debris removal mission in February 2024 and a 2019 launch for Tokyo-based ALE.
FAQ
Why did Rocket Lab’s shares rise today?
Because the company increased investors’ confidence by signing a new contract with JAXA with two launches.
When will the first Rocket Lab-JAXA launch take place?
The first mission is planned for December 2025.
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