New York, February 23, 2026, 16:08 ET — Trading after the bell
- Rocket Lab shares slipped in after-hours trading, with investors eyeing the company’s earnings release expected later this week.
- The Pentagon’s hypersonic test mission is on track for launch before the end of February.
- Results are slated for release after the bell on Feb. 26.
Rocket Lab Corp slipped 0.9% to $70.25 late Monday, tracking with an S&P 500 drop of roughly 1%. The shares kicked off at $68.76 and moved in a $68.50-to-$71.25 band, with volume reaching 8.2 million. Over the past year, RKLB has ranged from $14.71 up to $99.58.
The clock is ticking: Rocket Lab will drop its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 numbers after the bell on Thursday, followed by a conference call set for 5 p.m. Eastern. Investors are tuned in—even a typical quarter has the potential to jolt the shares if there’s a shift in launch guidance, cost outlook, or the trajectory of new government contracts.
Another near-term milestone is fast approaching: The Defense Innovation Unit, the Pentagon’s tech arm, is aiming to fly its first commercially developed hypersonic testbed before February wraps up. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the mission will use Rocket Lab’s HASTE launcher along with a DART AE vehicle from Australia’s Hypersonix. “This is just a very novel situation,” Lt. Col. Nicholas Estep told the magazine. Hypersonix CEO Matt Hill added, the flight “reflects years of engineering work.” Air Space Forces Magazine
Hypersonic refers to speeds topping five times the speed of sound. Scramjets—air-breathing engines built for that range—don’t leave engineers much room for mistakes.
Investors are drawn to the simple math: each test launch offers a shot at another contract. Should the Pentagon ramp up the pace, Rocket Lab stands to pick up extra, smaller missions slotted in those spaces between its regular orbital launches.
Rocket Lab manufactures rockets for small and medium payloads along with spacecraft hardware, offering both launch services and satellite parts, its Reuters company profile says. The company reported $436 million in revenue for 2024 but ended up with a net loss nearing $190 million, LSEG data compiled by Reuters shows.
Revenue growth, gross margin, and the company’s cash burn—those will get the spotlight in Thursday’s report, with investors also watching for any change to the launch schedule. Sentiment can swing on news about the in-development Neutron rocket, even when short-term numbers are mostly shaped by smaller missions.
The short-term lineup isn’t without hazards. Miss the late-February hypersonic flight window, or hint at slower 2026 progress, and those sharp swings in the stock could resurface fast.
All eyes now shift to the Feb. 26 earnings report and post-close guidance. As the month draws to a close, traders remain alert for updates on the HyCAT mission’s exact timeline.
