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Both companies entered the small-launch market and went public through SPAC mergers in 2021. Since then their paths have split: Rocket Lab flies Electron, builds spacecraft and is developing Neutron, while Astra went private, sells spacecraft engines and is building a new rocket, Rocket 4.
| Metric | Rocket Lab | Astra Space |
|---|---|---|
| Founded[3,7] | 2006 (New Zealand) | October 2016 (as Astra; predecessor Ventions from 2005) |
| Founder(s)[5,10] | Peter Beck | Chris Kemp, Adam London |
| Headquarters[1,5] | Long Beach, CA | Alameda, CA |
| Employees[1] | Over 2,600 full-time (Dec 31, 2025) | Not disclosed (private) |
| Publicly Traded[1,5] | Yes (RKLB, Nasdaq) | No: taken private in July 2024 |
| Market Cap[5] | ~$44.5B | None (private since July 2024) |
| Revenue[1] | $601.8M (FY2025) | Not disclosed (private) |
| Private funding on record | $158M raised privately before listing | $165M raised privately |
| Primary Launch Vehicle[6,8] | Electron (operational) | Rocket 3 (retired after June 2022); Rocket 4 in development |
| Vehicle Payload[1,6] | Up to 300 kg to LEO (Electron) | 20 to 50 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit (Rocket 3) |
| Launches (as of Sep 26, 2026)[2,6] | 97 Electron launches, including suborbital HASTE | 7 Rocket 3 launches, Sep 2020 to Jun 2022 (plus one rocket destroyed before launch) |
| Successful Launches[2,6] | 93 of 97 (95.9%) | 2 of 7: LV0007 (Nov 2021) and LV0009 (Mar 2022) |
| Reusability[1] | Mid-air helicopter recovery dropped in 2023 for marine recovery; Neutron first stage designed for reuse | None |
| Launch Sites[1,6] | LC-1 Mahia, NZ (two pads); LC-2 Wallops Island, VA; LC-3 (Neutron) under construction at Wallops | Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak, AK; Cape Canaveral SLC-46 |
| Next-Gen Vehicle[1,4,7,8] | Neutron (about 13,000 kg to LEO, reusable): not yet flown; first vehicle to LC-3 targeted Q4 2026 | Rocket 4: first launch targeted for 2026 (as of Nov 2025); DIU development contract worth up to $44M |
| Space Systems[1,7] | Photon and other spacecraft; components from acquired Sinclair Interplanetary, ASI, Planetary Systems, SolAero and GEOST; flight hardware on over 1,800 missions | Astra Spacecraft Engine (Hall-effect thruster), from the 2021 Apollo Fusion acquisition |
| Customers Named in Filings[1,7] | U.S. Department of War, NASA, DARPA, NRO; commercial operators incl. BlackSky, Canon, Kinéis, Capella Space, Planet, OHB and Synspective | U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (Rocket 4 contract) |
| Business Model (2026)[1,8,9] | Launch plus space systems (space systems: $402.8M of 2025 revenue); agreed to acquire Iridium, closing expected mid-2027 | Spacecraft engine sales fund Rocket 4 development (per CEO, Nov 2025) |
| Public Listing History[5,7,10] | Listed on Nasdaq through a SPAC merger in August 2021 | Listed on Nasdaq through a SPAC merger with Holicity in 2021; taken private in July 2024 at $0.50 a share |
Figures as of Feb 9, 2026 (auto-updated daily from company profiles). Information only, not investment advice. Full disclaimer
Electron has flown 97 times as of September 26, 2026 (including the suborbital HASTE variant), with 93 successes. Rocket Lab says Electron was the second most frequently launched orbital rocket in 2025, and its customers include the U.S. Department of War, NASA, DARPA and the NRO as well as commercial operators. Rocket Lab tried catching boosters in mid-air by helicopter, then dropped that in 2023 in favour of marine recovery.[1,2]
Astra's launch history was shorter and more troubled. Rocket 3 flew seven times between September 2020 and June 2022, and two flights reached orbit: LV0007 in November 2021 and LV0009 in March 2022. The June 2022 launch carrying two NASA TROPICS satellites failed to reach orbit. In August 2022 Astra ended Rocket 3 and moved to a new, larger design, Rocket 4, which it is still developing, funded by sales of its spacecraft engine (a Hall-effect thruster from the 2021 Apollo Fusion acquisition).[6,7,8]
Rocket Lab has bought component makers including Sinclair Interplanetary (2020), Advanced Solutions (2021), Planetary Systems Corporation (2021), SolAero Technologies (2022) and GEOST (2025), so it can offer launch on Electron, spacecraft such as Photon, and many subsystems built in-house. Space systems brought in $402.8 million of its $601.8 million 2025 revenue. Its spacecraft flew NASA's CAPSTONE mission to the Moon in 2022 and the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft in November 2025. In June 2026 Rocket Lab agreed to acquire Iridium; Iridium's stockholders approved the deal on September 24, 2026, with closing expected in mid-2027.[1,9]
Astra set out to mass-produce small rockets. After repeated launch failures it ended Rocket 3, and today its spacecraft engine, sold to satellite makers for station-keeping, collision avoidance and deorbiting, is the business that pays for Rocket 4. In October 2024 the Defense Innovation Unit awarded Astra a contract worth up to $44 million to support Rocket 4 development.[7,8]
Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on Nasdaq in August 2021 through a SPAC merger and remains public.[10]
Astra (ASTR) listed on Nasdaq in 2021 through a SPAC merger with Holicity. Its co-founders Chris Kemp and Adam London took the company private in July 2024: the merger closed on July 18, 2024, public holders received $0.50 a share in cash, and the shares were delisted and deregistered, so Astra no longer has a public market value.[5,7]
Rocket Lab's Neutron, a reusable rocket designed to carry about 13,000 kg to low Earth orbit, has not flown yet; Rocket Lab targets delivery of the first vehicle to Launch Complex 3 at Wallops Island in the fourth quarter of 2026. Astra's chief executive said in late 2025 that Rocket 4 would make its first launch from Cape Canaveral in 2026.[1,4,8]
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