Rocket Lab shares rise 5.35% premarket after securing $816M SDA satellite manufacturing contract.

Rocket Lab surged 5.35% in premarket trading following the announcement of an $816 million multiyear contract with the U.S. Space Development Agency to design and build missile defense satellites, its largest contract to date. This development underscores the company’s growing role in U.S. defense and national security programs, offsetting recent setbacks like the cancellation of NASA’s Mars Sample Return project. The SDA award provides long-term revenue visibility and aligns with Rocket Lab’s strategy to expand its high-margin space systems segment, positioning it competitively against peers like SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. The stock’s premarket rise reflects investor optimism about the contract’s potential to drive growth and operational scalability, despite broader market volatility linked to the Mars program cancellation and SpaceX IPO speculation.