Terry
Private Fund Portfolio Manager & Trader
Rocket Lab's price bets on the most optimistic version of its results a decade out while it is still losing money, so the market is pricing a story rather than the company. Narrative now earns a premium and earnings do not, as with IonQ and AI-server-labeled Dell and HPE, and one quarterly miss means exit. This can last a long time in liquid, risk-on markets, as 1999 dot-coms and 2021 SPACs showed, so a drop is not imminent; buyers now are buying how long sentiment lasts. x.comÂ
Rocket Lab deserves a $150-200 billion market cap even at a tenth of SpaceX's valuation, supporting a $105-185 target range. Acquisitions including Motiv, Mynaric, Optical Support and SolAero give it full capability from satellite platforms and space robotics to optical links and space computing. Its SDA contracts are sticky, space systems reduce its reliance on launches, and the US government will want an alternative to SpaceX. Neutron's first flight, months away, is the next catalyst. x.comÂ
Rocket Lab still looks ridiculously expensive at 29 times forward sales against SpaceX at 22 times, even after a 65% fall. At 22 times, Rocket Lab would be roughly $38, and SpaceX would still be the pick. SpaceX also has better forward guidance; Rocket Lab's negative adjusted EBITDA makes sales multiples the valuation yardstick. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab could face a difficult 9-12 months because much of the space industry's future is already priced into equity valuations, even as its business and backlog grow. A monthly close below the $61 21-month EMA would raise the risk that the uptrend has ended and shift attention toward $35-45 for a better long-term entry; holding $61 preserves a more constructive reading. The company could still trade considerably higher over a longer horizon. x.comÂ
Investors rotating into cheaper stocks with more upside should ultimately benefit Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile. Both have already suffered major drawdowns. x.comÂ
No rocket or space company anywhere makes money, making the 'space is the future' investment pitch a bad bet. SpaceX is shown at -$4.9B; Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile, Intuitive Machines, Firefly Aerospace and Planet Labs also have negative figures, ranging from -$131.20M to -$618.76M. x.comÂ
Rocket Lab's valuation already more than bakes in space data centers. At a $74B market cap, over 74 times sales, Rocket Lab had better be building more than just data centers in space. This is a call on the price, not on the underlying quality of the business. x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab's growing Space Systems business positions it to provide more than launches for the space economy. It generated $189.5M in Q2, 81% of revenue; if its pending Iridium acquisition closes, it would gain a global satellite communications network. At about $51, this is one of the most compelling long-term opportunities in the space sector over 3-5 years, provided it keeps executing. Neutron's launch has slipped to 2027, and execution risks remain. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab's roughly $80 billion valuation, including its newly announced $3 billion dilution, would require $3-4 billion in profit to be reasonable, and there is no scenario where it earns $3 billion within three years. The market can stay illogical longer than expected, so it could still run 50% before crashing 80%; the same applies to AST SpaceMobile. x.com x.comÂ
Repeated Neutron delays undermine the premium on Rocket Lab stock when execution keeps slipping. The company does not live or die by Neutron, but 50x sales was unjustified; even at 26x 2027 sales, a legitimate price suggests another 50% decline. x.com x.comÂ
Good SpaceX earnings could help Rocket Lab lead the new-space sector higher with a rally as violent as its capitulation. Rocket Lab is the sector leader outside SpaceX; its RSI is extremely oversold, the lower Bollinger band is overstretched and MACD's negative divergence is subsiding. Three upside gaps lie at $55.25-59.18, $64.22-65.71 and $73.11-74.76. The highest should fill before year-end, though the exact date is hard to predict. x.com x.comÂ
Rocket Lab's fundamentals do not yet justify buying, even after a 55% drop took it to around its 200-day moving average. It still lacks positive earnings, net income and growing free cash flow. The upside could be significant if the business executes over the next few years, but more proof of profitability is needed first; it stays on the watch list. x.com x.comÂ
