Rocket Lab readied itself for a milestone mission this weekend as its Electron rocket marks its 70th launch to date. Shares of the SpaceX rival are up 74% so far this year.
Rocket Lab plans to launch an Electron rocket on Saturday that will deploy five satellites into Earth orbit for an unnamed commercial customer. The vehicle will launch from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 site in New Zealand. The first launch window for the mission, called "Live, Laugh, Launch," opens at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Rocket Lab said the latest mission "underscores its ability to provide responsive space access for small satellite customers with a range of mission requirements." Electron holds the title for the most-frequently launched small-lift orbital rocket, the company says.
The Electron mission comes just days before the expected official opening of Rocket Lab's new launch site, called Launch Complex 3, in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch Complex 3 will serve as the launchpad for the company's upcoming reusable, medium-lift Neutron rocket. Rocket Lab said it will continue to execute a "busy schedule" of Electron rockets while preparing for the Neutron debut.
More mission details can be found on Rocket Lab's site, here.
A livestream for the launch is available here. The live webcast starts about 30 minutes ahead of launch.
New Space Executive Order
Rocket Lab's mission also comes after President Donald Trump on Aug. 13 signed an executive order to accelerate the commercial space industry in the U.S. The order, called "Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry," directs federal regulators to streamline launch licenses and spaceport construction permitting, while reducing or eliminating regulations, such as environmental reviews.
Cantor Fitzgerald in a research note on Monday said that Rocket Lab and Intuitive Machines should be direct beneficiaries of the executive order, The Fly reported. Faster environmental reviews and streamlined licensing could shorten timelines for mission approvals and expansions, according to Cantor, which would enable the companies to scale operations more quickly and capture additional contracts.
Cantor Fitzgerald has an outperform rating on Rocket Lab stock.
Rocket Lab Stock
RKLB stock jumped 6.9% Friday, adding to its Thursday rebound off its 50-day line.
Rocket Lab is in the fifth week of a downtrend, but is holding support at its 10-week moving average. A strong enough push off that line could break the downtrend and create a buy opportunity.
Rocket Lab has rallied 74% so far this year.
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