Space launch provider Rocket Lab to buy satellite operator Iridium for $8B
Rocket Lab Corp. today announced plans to acquire Iridium Communications Inc., a major satellite operator, for $8 billion in cash and stock.
The companies expect to complete the transaction in mid-2027.
Rocket Lab is the developer of Electron, a 60-foot launch vehicle optimized to take satellites into low Earth orbit, or LEO. The company completed its first successful flight in 2019. It has since deployed more than 250 satellites for customers aboard 91 Electron rockets.
Besides providing launch services, Rocket Lab also supplies components to other space companies. The company makes solar arrays, propulsion modules, sensors and a variety of other subsystems. Furthermore, Rocket Labs offers a suite of software tools that companies can use to coordinate their spacecraft.
