Last Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Rocket Lab’s Long Beach headquarters as part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, underscoring the Pentagon’s evolving procurement strategy. Speaking to some 200 employees, Hegseth hailed the company as the “engine of the new arsenal of freedom” and positioned its spacecraft and launch services as vital to securing the “high ground” in future conflict. The visit marks the first time a Defense Secretary has publicly embraced a private space firm as a cornerstone of the national defense industrial base, signaling a major shift toward agile, commercially-driven aerospace partners.

In December, Rocket Lab secured an $816 million contract from the Department of Defense to build and deploy 18 satellites capable of detecting and tracking advanced threats. The award elevates the company from a launch-services provider to a full-spectrum defense prime contractor competing alongside legacy giants. That same month, the U.S. Space Force tapped Rocket Lab for a separate mission, bringing total Space Force awards since 2023 to more than $1.6 billion in contracted value. CEO Peter Beck affirmed on social media that these wins validate Rocket Lab’s vertically integrated approach and capacity to build at both speed and scale.

Rocket Lab’s stock has climbed more than 60% over the past three months following a wave of successful missions and new contract announcements. In December alone the company completed its first mission for Japan’s JAXA program, won a multi-year Canadian Space Agency collaboration and executed its fifth dedicated U.S. Space Force launch. Equity analysts at two major firms recently raised their one-year outlooks, citing the company’s expanding defense partnerships and upcoming Neutron rocket debut. With Neutron’s first commercial flight targeted for Q1, investors are betting Rocket Lab will continue to capitalize on rising government demand for resilient, low-cost access to orbit.