Rocket Lab launch services
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 4 of 5 launch vehicles by recommenders
People recommend it for a reliable launch record and a focus on pure space technology. Critics say the stock is expensive and rockets have never made money.
People recommend it for a reliable launch record and a focus on pure space technology. Critics say the stock is expensive and rockets have never made money.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 85%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Reliable launch record
“23 launches per year with 100% success rate in the past 12 months”
Comment from 29 Jun 2026 in “RocketLab Acquires Iridium” “They've now had 86 successful launches from their NZ launch site.”
Comment from 5 Sep 2026 in “Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil” “They are already plenty reliable.”
Comment from 29 Jun 2026 in “RocketLab Acquires Iridium” Praised for pure space focus
“Other interesting work, e.g. rocket lab, is not old space.”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “New Glenn Update” “pure space tech without the AI distraction”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “The space bit of SpaceX is worth $8 a share, says Morgan Stanley”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Poor investment; stock looks expensive
“I like RocketLab. Looking forward to Neutron etc. But this is a bad investment, no other way to put it.”
Comment from 29 Jun 2026 in “RocketLab Acquires Iridium” “RKLB has a price/revenue near 100, not much better than SPCX.”
Comment from 23 Jun 2026 in “SpaceX sheds $400B in market value as debut rally hits reverse”
Other launch vehicles people recommend
The four most recommended other launch vehicles, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin New Glenn | 28 | 17 | 62% | 6 | — | — |
| Falcon Heavy | 16 | 4 | 80% | 11 | — | Approved |
| SpaceX Falcon rockets | 13 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Rocket Lab launch servicesThis page | 11 | 2 | 85% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Ariane 6 | 11 | 14 | 44% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
12 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“They've now had 86 successful launches from their NZ launch site.”
“pure space tech without the AI distraction”
“I like RocketLab. Looking forward to Neutron etc. But this is a bad investment, no other way to put it.”
“They are already plenty reliable.”
“All Rocket Lab launches ever combined don't even fill a single SpaceX rocket.”
“23 launches per year with 100% success rate in the past 12 months”
“RKLB has a price/revenue near 100, not much better than SPCX.”
“Peter Beck is a once a generation engineer and is building an amazing company.”
“Based on operating experience and outlook, Rocketlab shouldn't be forgotten on that list.”
“Rocket Lab and Relativity Space are doing some cool stuff”
“RocketLab itself basically never made money from rockets, the pivoted mostly to in-space stuff.”
“Other interesting work, e.g. rocket lab, is not old space.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.