Rocket Lab Completes Acquisition of Optical Support
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 26 2026
0mins
Rocket Lab Corporation announced it has completed the acquisition of Optical Support. OSI's advanced lenses and optomechanical systems are critical enablers for national security and commercial satellites, and are key subsystems used in Rocket Lab Optical Systems' high-performance payloads for space protection, space domain awareness, missile warning, tracking and defense. OSI delivers end-to-end solutions from concept design and prototyping to full-scale production including CNC machining, optical alignment, cleanroom assembly, and testing. OSI will be integrated into Rocket Lab Optical Systems, the Company's payload arm which is also based in Arizona and was established in August 2025 when Rocket Lab acquired Geost.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy RKLB?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on RKLB
Wall Street analysts forecast RKLB stock price to fall
11 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 125.450
Low
63.00
Averages
86.89
High
120.00
Current: 125.450
Low
63.00
Averages
86.89
High
120.00
About RKLB
Rocket Lab Corporation is an end-to-end space company. The Company designs and manufactures small and medium-class rockets, spacecraft and spacecraft components, and related software and services to support the space economy. The Company delivers reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft design services, spacecraft components, spacecraft manufacturing, and other spacecraft and on-orbit management solutions that make it easier to access space. Its Launch Services segment provides launch and launch-related services to customers on a dedicated mission or ride-share basis. Its Space Systems segment comprises the design and manufacture of spacecraft components and spacecraft program management services, space data applications, and mission operations. Its space systems solutions are the building blocks for spacecraft, which include composite structures, reaction wheels, star trackers, solar solutions, radios, separation systems, and command and control spacecraft software.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Rocket Lab Secures $90 Million Satellite Contract
- Significant Contract Value: Rocket Lab has been awarded a $90 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to design, manufacture, integrate, and operate two geostationary satellites, marking the company's first foray into geostationary satellite production and expanding its vertically integrated mission model.
- Technological Integration Advantage: The new satellites will be built on Rocket Lab's Lightning bus, tailored for the thermal, radiation, propulsion, and station-keeping requirements of geostationary orbit, ensuring production efficiency and supply chain advantages across multiple national security programs.
- Transition from Prototype to Operations: This contract transitions the Heimdall space domain awareness payload development from the prototype phase to operational delivery, enhancing the Space Force's ability to monitor objects in geostationary orbit and bolstering the company's competitive position in the market.
- Production and Testing Hub: Rocket Lab will conduct spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing at its Long Beach, California facility, ensuring payload delivery and mission operations, further solidifying its leadership in the aerospace sector.
See More
Starfighters Space Partners with Mu-G for NASA Microgravity Services
- Significant Market Potential: SpaceX's upcoming June IPO aims to raise up to $75 billion with a valuation of $1.75 trillion, which is expected to ignite investment across the aerospace sector, positioning Starfighters, as a smaller public company, to benefit from this trend.
- Partnership Agreement: Starfighters signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mu-G Technologies to modify and certify the Falcon 50 aircraft at Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas, aiming to rebuild the U.S. commercial microgravity capability and fill a significant market gap.
- Diverse Flight Environments: Under the MOU, Starfighters will provide multiple flight environments, including microgravity, reduced gravity, and hypergravity, leveraging the capabilities of both the Falcon 50 and F-104 aircraft to enhance its competitiveness in the aerospace testing market.
- Executive Changes and Expansion: With Tim Franta taking over as CEO in February 2026, Starfighters has recently added two senior engineers from Blue Origin, further strengthening its technical capabilities and market competitiveness.
See More
Starfighters Space Partners with Mu-G Technologies for NASA Flight Services
- Space Economy Boost: The upcoming SpaceX IPO is projected to raise up to $75 billion at a $1.75 trillion valuation, potentially becoming the largest IPO in history, which is expected to catalyze growth across space ETFs and the broader space economy.
- MOU Signing: Starfighters Space has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mu-G Technologies to modify and flight test the Dassault Falcon 50 at Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas, addressing a gap in domestic microgravity services in the U.S.
- Diverse Flight Environments: This collaboration will provide four flight environments—microgravity, reduced gravity, hyper-gravity, and supersonic—enhancing Starfighters' competitiveness in the commercial microgravity market and meeting NASA's demand for novel flight platforms.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: Starfighters is already conducting revenue missions for clients like Lockheed Martin, and its engagement in NASA's RFI highlights its significant position in the future space services market.
See More
Rocket Lab Successfully Launches Ninth StriX Satellite for Synspective
- Successful Launch: Rocket Lab successfully deployed the ninth StriX satellite for Synspective on May 22, 2026, further solidifying its commercial partnership with the Japan-based company and reinforcing its leadership in the small satellite launch sector.
- Customized Service: The launch featured a custom Electron rocket fairing tailored for the StriX satellite, ensuring a 100% mission success rate, which highlights Rocket Lab's adaptability to client needs and enhances its service offering.
- Increased Launch Count: This mission brings Rocket Lab's total launch count to 88, further establishing Electron as the premier small launch provider globally, with an additional 18 launches booked for Synspective in the pipeline.
- Global Market Impact: Through ongoing collaboration with Synspective, Rocket Lab not only enhances its market share but also strengthens its competitive position in the global satellite launch market, facilitating the worldwide delivery of high-resolution Earth observation data.
See More
Surge in Space-Themed ETFs Ahead of SpaceX IPO
- Surge in Inflows: Space-related ETFs attracted $1.3 billion in new cash over the past month, pushing total assets under management to $3.3 billion, reflecting strong investor interest and expectations for future growth in the space economy.
- Rapid Product Launches: Following SpaceX's announcement of a 2026 IPO, six new space-themed ETFs have emerged, with the Tema Space Innovators ETF accumulating $1.27 billion in assets within just seven weeks, indicating a pressing demand for space investment products.
- Positive Market Response: While SpaceX's IPO garners significant attention, other companies like Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile have seen stock gains of 393% and 258% over the past year, demonstrating the growing recognition of investment potential in the space economy.
- Overlap Risks Raised: Despite impressive recent returns, analysts caution that the space economy remains a niche market, with existing ETFs showing over 50% overlap in holdings, potentially exposing investors to concentration risks.
See More
Trump Administration's $2 Billion Quantum Computing Investment Boosts Market
- Quantum Computing Surge: The Trump administration's announcement of a $2 billion investment in quantum computing has led to significant stock price increases for quantum-related companies like IBM, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum, adding nearly $5 billion in market value in a single session, demonstrating strong governmental support for technological innovation.
- IBM Quantum Initiative Boost: IBM's stock rose 4% in early trading, benefiting from a proposed $1 billion federal grant aimed at supporting domestic production of quantum chips, which further solidifies its leadership position in the quantum computing market.
- Optimistic Market Sentiment: Investor sentiment towards the SPDR S&P 500 ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust remains 'extremely bullish', reflecting strong confidence in technology stocks, particularly in the investment outlook for quantum computing and artificial intelligence sectors.
- Economic Data Watch: The market is closely monitoring the upcoming U.S. consumer sentiment data and the swearing-in of new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, as these factors could influence future monetary policy and market trends.
See More
Rocket Lab Secures $90 Million Satellite Contract
- Significant Contract Value: Rocket Lab has been awarded a $90 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to design, manufacture, integrate, and operate two geostationary satellites, marking the company's first foray into geostationary satellite production and expanding its vertically integrated mission model.
- Technological Integration Advantage: The new satellites will be built on Rocket Lab's Lightning bus, tailored for the thermal, radiation, propulsion, and station-keeping requirements of geostationary orbit, ensuring production efficiency and supply chain advantages across multiple national security programs.
- Transition from Prototype to Operations: This contract transitions the Heimdall space domain awareness payload development from the prototype phase to operational delivery, enhancing the Space Force's ability to monitor objects in geostationary orbit and bolstering the company's competitive position in the market.
- Production and Testing Hub: Rocket Lab will conduct spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing at its Long Beach, California facility, ensuring payload delivery and mission operations, further solidifying its leadership in the aerospace sector.
See More
Starfighters Space Partners with Mu-G for NASA Microgravity Services
- Significant Market Potential: SpaceX's upcoming June IPO aims to raise up to $75 billion with a valuation of $1.75 trillion, which is expected to ignite investment across the aerospace sector, positioning Starfighters, as a smaller public company, to benefit from this trend.
- Partnership Agreement: Starfighters signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mu-G Technologies to modify and certify the Falcon 50 aircraft at Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas, aiming to rebuild the U.S. commercial microgravity capability and fill a significant market gap.
- Diverse Flight Environments: Under the MOU, Starfighters will provide multiple flight environments, including microgravity, reduced gravity, and hypergravity, leveraging the capabilities of both the Falcon 50 and F-104 aircraft to enhance its competitiveness in the aerospace testing market.
- Executive Changes and Expansion: With Tim Franta taking over as CEO in February 2026, Starfighters has recently added two senior engineers from Blue Origin, further strengthening its technical capabilities and market competitiveness.
See More
Starfighters Space Partners with Mu-G Technologies for NASA Flight Services
- Space Economy Boost: The upcoming SpaceX IPO is projected to raise up to $75 billion at a $1.75 trillion valuation, potentially becoming the largest IPO in history, which is expected to catalyze growth across space ETFs and the broader space economy.
- MOU Signing: Starfighters Space has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mu-G Technologies to modify and flight test the Dassault Falcon 50 at Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas, addressing a gap in domestic microgravity services in the U.S.
- Diverse Flight Environments: This collaboration will provide four flight environments—microgravity, reduced gravity, hyper-gravity, and supersonic—enhancing Starfighters' competitiveness in the commercial microgravity market and meeting NASA's demand for novel flight platforms.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: Starfighters is already conducting revenue missions for clients like Lockheed Martin, and its engagement in NASA's RFI highlights its significant position in the future space services market.
See More
Rocket Lab Successfully Launches Ninth StriX Satellite for Synspective
- Successful Launch: Rocket Lab successfully deployed the ninth StriX satellite for Synspective on May 22, 2026, further solidifying its commercial partnership with the Japan-based company and reinforcing its leadership in the small satellite launch sector.
- Customized Service: The launch featured a custom Electron rocket fairing tailored for the StriX satellite, ensuring a 100% mission success rate, which highlights Rocket Lab's adaptability to client needs and enhances its service offering.
- Increased Launch Count: This mission brings Rocket Lab's total launch count to 88, further establishing Electron as the premier small launch provider globally, with an additional 18 launches booked for Synspective in the pipeline.
- Global Market Impact: Through ongoing collaboration with Synspective, Rocket Lab not only enhances its market share but also strengthens its competitive position in the global satellite launch market, facilitating the worldwide delivery of high-resolution Earth observation data.
See More
Surge in Space-Themed ETFs Ahead of SpaceX IPO
- Surge in Inflows: Space-related ETFs attracted $1.3 billion in new cash over the past month, pushing total assets under management to $3.3 billion, reflecting strong investor interest and expectations for future growth in the space economy.
- Rapid Product Launches: Following SpaceX's announcement of a 2026 IPO, six new space-themed ETFs have emerged, with the Tema Space Innovators ETF accumulating $1.27 billion in assets within just seven weeks, indicating a pressing demand for space investment products.
- Positive Market Response: While SpaceX's IPO garners significant attention, other companies like Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile have seen stock gains of 393% and 258% over the past year, demonstrating the growing recognition of investment potential in the space economy.
- Overlap Risks Raised: Despite impressive recent returns, analysts caution that the space economy remains a niche market, with existing ETFs showing over 50% overlap in holdings, potentially exposing investors to concentration risks.
See More
Trump Administration's $2 Billion Quantum Computing Investment Boosts Market
- Quantum Computing Surge: The Trump administration's announcement of a $2 billion investment in quantum computing has led to significant stock price increases for quantum-related companies like IBM, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum, adding nearly $5 billion in market value in a single session, demonstrating strong governmental support for technological innovation.
- IBM Quantum Initiative Boost: IBM's stock rose 4% in early trading, benefiting from a proposed $1 billion federal grant aimed at supporting domestic production of quantum chips, which further solidifies its leadership position in the quantum computing market.
- Optimistic Market Sentiment: Investor sentiment towards the SPDR S&P 500 ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust remains 'extremely bullish', reflecting strong confidence in technology stocks, particularly in the investment outlook for quantum computing and artificial intelligence sectors.
- Economic Data Watch: The market is closely monitoring the upcoming U.S. consumer sentiment data and the swearing-in of new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, as these factors could influence future monetary policy and market trends.
See More
