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Rocket Labis exploring possible software program for a satellite configuration that they would build , launch and run in - house , similar to SpaceX ’s Starlink clientele , as a style of generate fall back revenue , an administrator said this week .

“ If you look to where we at long last need to go , in a lot of ways we want to emulate what [ SpaceX ] has successfully done , which is work their elbow room towards the applications market , ” Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice said . “ SpaceX has take the consumer broadband and other coating on Starlink for their anchorperson coating in space . We ’re evaluating a lot of different configuration program opportunity . ”

“ Ultimately , we regard close - to - remnant as not just build and launch , but it ’s build , launching , engage and engender a recurring tax revenue stream off of the end customer kinship , ” he said .

Rocket Lab has already taken great strides to become a full - service space company : The company fly its small Electron rocket for commercial-grade and defense customers ; it is develop a big Neutron rocket salad , similar in size and payload capacity to SpaceX ’s Falcon 9 , which is on track to fly for the first fourth dimension at the destruction of this class ; and it lock a booming space systems business , which include intersection from full satellite buses to spacecraft components , like solar panels and chemical reaction bike .

In recent calendar month , Rocket Lab has also expanded its work with U.S. government agencies , most notably inits profits of a $ 515 million contractto build 18 satellites for the Space Development Agency . The company leveraged its erect desegregation to score that contract , and will be building all of the vital portion of the orbiter bus as part of that quite a little . Where Rocket Lab has the greatest trust on third - party supplier is with the cargo portion of the spacecraft , Spice say .

But the party require to close that gap , too . before this month , Rocket Lab announced it had fill up a $ 355 million convertible banker’s bill offering , and Spice say that the young backing will turn on the ship’s company to “ inorganically work our way into more payload capabilities . ”

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Rocket Lab leverages vertical integration to land $ 515 M military artificial satellite contract

That means more acquisitions . Rocket Lab has already carry out four acquisitions to build its end - to - end potentiality , but Spice said unambiguously that the troupe is face for more .

“ the right way now is a big time to be shop because the ability to raise Washington for most companies is very , very , very challenging , ” he explained . “ So we ’re seeing some tangible opportunities [ … ] We see other upset assets that are character technology that we can summate to our portfolio . ”