Shares of Rocket Lab (RKLB) slipped nearly 2% overnight late Tuesday after its latest Electron launch attempt for Japan’s QPS was called off on launch day, with the company saying that backup windows are available in the coming days.
declined 29% in June, logging its worst month since November 2025.
Rocket Lab Pauses 92nd Launch
The company said on X that it was “standing down from today’s launch attempt” for QPS Inc., adding that it has “backup opportunities for another attempt in the coming days” and would announce a new launch date soon.
The mission, named is designed to deploy QPS-SAR-13, a synthetic aperture radar satellite, to a 575-kilometer low Earth orbit. The satellite will join QPS’s growing Earth-imaging constellation. The stand down came after Rocket Lab had moved deep into launch-day preparations at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.
The QPS mission would mark Rocket Lab’s 13th Electron launch of the year and its 92nd launch overall. Earlier in the evening, the company said that Electron was vertical on the pad for its 92nd overall launch. It also said liquid oxygen loading was underway and the weather was 70% favorable for liftoff. The launch window was scheduled to open at 9:00 p.m. ET on June 30.
The mission had already been pushed once earlier. On Monday, Rocket Lab said that strong winds expected over the launch site had forced it to shift the attempt to July 1 in New Zealand.
Rocket Lab Adds NASA Missions
Rocket Lab recently said that NASA selected the company for three Electron launches tied to two agency missions, PolSIR and TSIS-2. PolSIR will use two CubeSats to study high-altitude ice clouds in tropical and subtropical regions, while TSIS-2 will measure the Sun’s brightness across ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths.
The company’s NASA pipeline also includes Aspera, an astrophysics mission focused on galaxy formation and evolution, and Loxsat, an in-space refueling technology mission that could support future exploration on the Moon and Mars.
Rocket Lab’s $8B Iridium Bet
The launch delay comes as investors are also digesting Rocket Lab’s proposed $8 billion acquisition of Iridium Communications, marking a deal that would expand the company beyond launch and spacecraft manufacturing.
Rocket Lab agreed to acquire Iridium for $54 per share in a cash-and-stock transaction. The deal will combine Rocket Lab’s launch and satellite manufacturing capabilities with Iridium’s global satellite communications network, L-band spectrum and more than 500 partners. Iridium has more than 2.55 million active subscribers across government, defense, aviation, maritime and commercial markets. The deal is expected to close in mid-2027, subject to Iridium shareholder approval and regulatory clearances.
How Do Retail Traders Feel About RKLB?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for RKLB was ‘bullish’ amid ‘high’ message volume.
One user , “$RKLB This isn't the first launch scrub and it won't be the last. Payload safety!”
View this Stocktwits postAnother user said, “$RKLB Today reminded me of the launch of Windows 2000. Blue Screen of Death. SPB [CEO Sir Peter Beck] will get to the bottom of it not like Bill ‘I didn't build anything’ Gates.”
View this Stocktwits postRKLB stock has jumped 184% over the past year.