RKLB: Rocket Lab Stock Powers Up on More Good News, Extending One-Year Gains to 650%

Monster run in the space company gained new momentum after Elon Musk’s relationship with Trump soured. Bad news for SpaceX is good news for Rocket Lab?

🚀 Rocket Lab Keeps Blasting Higher

• Rocket Lab stock RKLB soared roughly 8% on Monday to cross $42 — a record high — pushing its one-year gain past a whopping 650% — not bad for a small-cap that once fought for attention next to SpaceX.
• The surge comes as Elon Musk’s high-profile political clash with President Trump weighs on SpaceX’s reputation and future contracts with Washington. For Rocket Lab, it’s another tailwind: potentially less competition for certain US government contracts and satellite projects.
• The stock has more than doubled in the last three months alone and is up 65% year-to-date, riding the wave of investor interest in alternative space plays — especially with its market cap now above $19 billion, just a few years after going public via SPAC in 2021.

🌌 Citi Sees Rocket Lab Going Orbital

• Rocket Lab’s rally got fresh rocket fuel from a Citi upgrade, with analysts raising their price target to $50 from $33, betting on longer-term revenue potential if the company continues to deliver on its guidance.
• Citi now values Rocket Lab off 2029 projections, not 2027 — a vote of confidence in its pipeline of launch contracts and satellite builds.
• By 2029, analysts see Rocket Lab bringing in around $2.6 billion in revenue, driven by about 20 Neutron rocket launches a year plus additional satellite construction and servicing work for US government programs.

👀 SpaceX vs Rocket Lab

• But let’s dig a little into the SpaceX vs Rocket Lab rivalry. The political drama swirling around Elon Musk and his falling out with President Trump is proving to be an unexpected gift for Rocket Lab’s investors.
• Musk’s new “America Party” ambitions and potential conflicts of interest are driving some traders and investors to believe that government-backed satellite and launch business could shift to a more politically neutral player.
• If Rocket Lab can keep riding the wave — and convert its pipeline into consistent cash flow — the space infrastructure upstart might just prove there’s plenty of room for more than one rocket king. Still, SpaceX is grand — the private space company’s valuation is estimated to be around $400 billion.