Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB) shares are trading higher Monday afternoon, continuing a rally that has seen the stock climb significantly over the past week. Investor sentiment remains resilient despite a minor schedule adjustment to the company’s upcoming RAISE and Shine mission. Here’s what investors need to know.
- Rocket Lab stock is charging ahead with explosive momentum. What’s driving RKLB stock higher?
What To Know: Rocket Lab announced via X that the launch window for the mission has been updated to no earlier than Dec. 12 to allow time for additional checkouts. This follows previous delays caused by unfavorable weather in New Zealand.
The mission, Rocket Lab’s 19th Electron launch of 2025, is a dedicated flight for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) carrying the RAISE-4 satellite, marking a pivotal expansion of the company’s government portfolio.
The schedule shift has done little to dampen market enthusiasm. Shares recently surged past $50, as space stocks rallied after OpenAI’s Sam Altman said he was considering acquiring or partnering with a rocket company to compete with SpaceX.
Bullish momentum is being further fueled by strong analyst support. Needham recently reiterated a Buy rating with a $63 price target, while Bank of America recently raised its target to $60.
Investors appear to be looking beyond immediate JAXA launch logistics to the company's dominant market position. Recent data indicates Rocket Lab holds a 97% share of the U.S. small launch market (excluding SpaceX).
With the highly anticipated debut of its medium-lift Neutron rocket scheduled for first-quarter 2026 and successful milestones for its NASA-backed Mars spacecraft, Rocket Lab continues to solidify its standing as the primary public-market competitor to SpaceX.
Benzinga Edge Rankings: Underscoring this positive market activity, Benzinga Edge rankings currently assign the stock a robust Momentum score of 93.05.
RKLB Price Action: Rocket Lab shares were up 2.94% at $50.50 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
From a technical perspective, Rocket Lab is currently trading approximately 6.6% below its 50-day moving average. This distance indicates that while the stock has shown recent strength, it may still face resistance in the near term as it approaches this average.
Conversely, the stock is trading approximately 35% below its 200-day moving average, suggesting a longer-term bearish trend that investors should monitor closely.
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