NEW YORK, Feb 13, 2026, 16:59 ET — After-hours
Rocket Lab shares rose about 2.2% to $67.44 in Friday’s regular session and were down roughly 0.04% after hours at $67.41. The stock ranged from $65.51 to $69.60 during the day. (Investing)
The move comes as investors weigh fresh defense-linked launch plans against the next big checkpoint: Rocket Lab’s quarterly results later this month. The company has been a fast trade lately, with each program update feeding into the same question — cadence and cash.
Rocket Lab said late Thursday its next launch will be a dedicated mission on its HASTE rocket, short for Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron. The mission, named Cassowary Vex and dubbed “That’s Not A Knife,” is set to open a launch window in late February from its Virginia launch site and will deploy Hypersonix’s DART AE, a scramjet-powered aircraft that uses an air-breathing engine designed for hypersonic flight. Rocket Lab called it its fourth hypersonic test mission in under six months and said HASTE can reach environments up to Mach 20, about 20 times the speed of sound. (GlobeNewswire)
Hypersonix co-founder Dr. Michael Smart said, “DART AE allows us to validate propulsion, materials and control systems at speeds and temperatures that simply can’t be replicated on the ground.” Chief executive Matt Hill said, “This flight reflects years of engineering work and the confidence of our partners at DIU, NASA and Rocket Lab.” (AVweb)
Investors are also looking past the test flight to Rocket Lab’s larger Neutron rocket, still in development and central to the company’s longer-term growth pitch. In a January filing, Rocket Lab said it would provide an update on the Neutron schedule during its 2025 fourth-quarter earnings call in February after a stage tank ruptured during qualification testing. (Securities and Exchange Commission)
Rocket Lab is set to release fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results after the U.S. market close on Feb. 26 and will host a conference call at 5 p.m. ET. (GlobeNewswire)
Friday’s rebound followed a rough session on Thursday as technology shares slid and the Nasdaq ended more than 2% lower. Rocket Lab’s swings have tracked that risk-off tone at times, even with more of its headlines tied to defense and space hardware than consumer tech. (Reuters)
Macro data added another layer on Friday after U.S. consumer prices rose 0.2% in January and the core CPI — which strips out food and energy — increased 0.3%, Reuters reported. Rate expectations matter for high-growth stocks because lower yields tend to boost the value investors place on future earnings. (Reuters)
Space names have also been jumpy on company-specific financing news. AST SpaceMobile dropped about 15% on Thursday after announcing a $1 billion convertible debt offering, and Barron’s said the move pressured other space stocks, including Rocket Lab. (Barron’s)
But the near-term catalysts cut both ways. Hypersonic launches can slip, payload tests can fail, and any stumble could hit sentiment ahead of earnings while pushing expected revenue into later quarters.
Next up is the late-February Cassowary Vex launch window, then Feb. 26, when investors will watch for 2026 guidance and any reset to Neutron’s timeline.
