Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ:RKLB) shot up in early trading after the company announced it has signed another multi-launch deal with Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. The contract will see Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) be the primary launch provider to deploy Q-shu Pioneers of Space’s commercial Earth-imaging constellation.
The multi-launch contract includes three dedicated Electron missions that will launch no earlier than 2026 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Rocket Lab (RKLB) noted that the three additional missions bring the total number of upcoming launches for iQPS to seven. Each dedicated launch will deploy a single synthetic aperture radar satellite from a Rocket Lab Motorized Lightband separation system, which the company said demonstrates its vertical integration across launch and space systems that improves reliability and streamlines the launch process for its customers.
“By choosing both Electron and our separation systems to deploy their satellites, iQPS takes advantage of a highly-integrated launch service that maximizes reliability and streamlines operations for faster access to space to grow their constellation,” stated Rocket Lab (RKLB) CEO Sir Peter Beck.
Looking ahead, Rocket Lab (RKLB) highlighted that it has increased its production and launch cadence to meet the demand for more than 20 launches in 2025. Rocket Lab’s (RKLB) next launch for iQPS is scheduled to take place in November.
Shares of Rocket Lab (RKLB) were up 6.0% in premarket trading on Wednesday after gaining 5.2% on Tuesday. The launch stock was swapping hands at an all-time high during the premarket session. Short interest on RKLB still stands at over 10% of the total float, despite the sizzling rally.