The excitement around space exploration is reaching new heights. With visionary companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin leading the charge, what was once a government-exclusive venture is now being led by the private sector.
Rocket Lab (RKLB 5.71%) stock spent most of Christmas week opening presents from its PR department, which posted on X about how well things went for the company in 2024 -- 16 rocket launches, a growing business providing solar power panels for spacecraft, and an accelerating cadence of rocket launches in the year's final weeks.
Rocket Lab (RKLB 1.81%) stock started Monday strong as its shares gained nearly 6% on news of a successful end-of-year rocket launch, putting another Synspective synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite in Low Earth Orbit. The space stock retraced quickly and, as of 11 a.m.
Welcome to the Green Stock News brief for Monday, December 23rd. Here are today's top headlines: Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) successfully completed its 16th launch of 2024, deploying a StriX satellite for Japanese Earth-observation company Synspective.
The pandemic made space stocks popular. Will the recovery make them profitable?
Rocket Lab is poised for long-term growth in the booming space industry, with significant revenue and technological advancements. Despite current operational losses, RKLB's innovative Electron and upcoming Neutron rockets position it strongly against competitors like SpaceX. RKLB's valuation suggests a 43% upside, driven by anticipated revenue growth and successful product launches, particularly the Neutron rocket.
Rocket Lab (RKLB 1.81%) has been one of the strongest-performing stocks on the Nasdaq in 2024, soaring by more than 380% since the start of the year.
Space industry leader SpaceX is reportedly shopping around a private auction of some of its employee shares at a $350 billion company valuation. Shares of Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ: RKLB) look like actual rockets, after all, up 370% over the last 52 weeks.
The space economy is growing like gangbusters. Jeff Bezos recently said that he thinks his space flight company Blue Origin will eventually be larger than Amazon, the technology giant he founded.
Investors interested in space stocks should refrain from buying RKLB right now, considering its premium valuation.
Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket offers cost efficiency for payloads under 13 tons, outperforming Falcon 9 in dedicated launches but not in rideshares or heavier payloads. Neutron's flexibility in launch frequency and precise orbital injections provide significant advantages, reducing risks and offering more control over timelines and orbits. SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Starship have a strong track record, but Neutron's design caters better to smaller payloads, making it a viable competitor.
Rocket Lab stock price has suffered a harsh reversal recently, falling for two consecutive weeks. It has dropped by over 17% from its highest level this year, meaning that it has entered a technical correction.