Rocket Lab Stock Rises After NASA Picks Electron for Two Missions

NASA selected Rocket Lab’s Electron to launch two science missions: the Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer Satellite (PolSIR) and the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2). Both missions will launch from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.

The awards were made under NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) program, a contract vehicle with potential value up to $300 million over 10 years. PolSIR will fly on two small CubeSats to measure how tropical and subtropical ice clouds interact with sunlight and heat. Those flights require two dedicated Electron launches scheduled to begin no earlier than June 2027.

TSIS-2 is planned for early 2027 and will fly on a separate Electron mission. The instrument will measure the total amount of solar energy reaching Earth and the distribution of wavelengths. According to NASA, those measurements will help track changes in weather patterns, ocean currents and seasonal variations.

Rocket Lab reported that Electron had completed nearly 90 missions and placed more than 260 satellites into orbit as of June 2026. The company also said its current production system can build a new Electron roughly every 11 days.

Electron remains Rocket Lab’s sole active launch vehicle while the larger Neutron is in development. Neutron’s inaugural flight, originally targeted for 2025, has not yet occurred.

Shares of Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) rose in premarket trading after NASA’s selections. The two VADR missions will add to Electron’s roster of science and government launches.