Rocket Lab Becomes Publicly Traded Through Merger with Vector Acquisition Corporation 

March 01, 2021

Rocket Lab and Vector Acquisition Corporation a special purpose acquisition company backed by Vector Capital, announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement that will result in Rocket Lab becoming a publicly traded company. The transaction is estimated to be completed in Q2 2021 and, at that time, Vector will change its name to Rocket Lab USA, Inc. and the combined company will trade under the Nasdaq ticker symbol RKLB.

Rocket Lab is transforming the way we use and access space by delivering end-to-end solutions across the launch and space systems markets. Since the Company’s first orbital launch in 2018, its innovative Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually. To date, Rocket Lab has delivered 97 satellites to orbit for more than 20 public and private-sector organizations and technology-leading constellation operators. Rocket Lab’s customer base is evenly split across government and commercial organizations including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as well as commercial satellite leaders. As the first company to deliver regular and reliable dedicated launch services for small satellites, Rocket Lab has also played a leading role in catalyzing the growth of the commercial small satellite industry. The satellites launched by Rocket Lab enable operations in national security, Earth observation, space debris mitigation, weather and climate monitoring, communications and scientific research.

Rocket Lab has an established space systems business that develops satellite and spacecraft solutions for a range of commercial and government missions, from low-Earth orbit constellations to high-complexity deep space and interplanetary missions. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft family delivers a satellite-as-a-service solution that eliminates the typical high cost, time and complexity customers face when building their own satellites. With Rocket Lab, customers can buy a launch, satellite, ground services and on-orbit management as a turn-key package, resulting in a disruptive reduction in cost and time to orbit. Rocket Lab has an operational Photon in orbit, with additional missions to the Moon, Mars and Venus planned. In 2021, Rocket Lab will employ Electron and Photon to launch a satellite to lunar orbit for NASA to serve as a precursor for Gateway, a Moon-orbiting outpost that is part of NASA’s Artemis program to return humans to the lunar surface.