Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB) shares are trading lower Wednesday as investors continue to react to news that Congress declined to fund a planned 2031 Mars sample-return mission tied to NASA’s Perseverance rover, adding to the stock’s recent volatility.
- Rocket Lab shares are retreating from recent levels. Why is RKLB stock dropping?
Congress Shelves Mars Sample Return Plan
The decision effectively ends Rocket Lab’s chance to win a multibillion-dollar role ferrying Martian rock, soil and gas samples back to Earth.
IBD reports that Rocket Lab had outlined a roughly $4 billion concept for bringing the samples home, submitted after NASA said it needed more time to redesign the mission.
With lawmakers withholding money, that opportunity is now off the table, removing a potential long-duration, flagship government contract for the company.
Lost Contract Undercuts Growth Hopes
Rocket Lab is already involved in Mars work, including building the spacecraft for NASA and UC Berkeley’s ESCAPADE mission, but the Perseverance sample-return project would have been far larger and more visible.
Losing that prospect dents the long-term narrative that Rocket Lab could steadily expand from launch services into high-margin deep-space missions.
Electron Launches Remain A Bright Spot
Rocket Lab stock has also been volatile in recent sessions after the company last week completed its 81st Electron mission, its second successful launch in just two weeks.
The latest flight carried an Earth-observation satellite for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, part of a broader constellation focused on tracking natural disasters and national security risks.
CEO Peter Beck said the back-to-back missions underscore strong customer demand for Electron and help lay the groundwork for a packed 2026 launch schedule from Rocket Lab’s sites in New Zealand and Virginia.
RKLB Stock Pulls Back After Sharp Run
Rocket Lab stock has surged over the past year, climbing from a low near $16 to a peak just below $97, before pulling back from those highs.
Despite the recent decline, RKLB remains well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, signaling that the longer-term uptrend is still intact even as short-term volatility increases.
RKLB Price Action: Rocket Lab shares were down 13.01% at $70.71 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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