Rocket Lab Buys Iridium in $8 Billion Deal, Creating a New SpaceX Rival

• Rocket Lab is buying Iridium for $8 billion in a cash-and-stock deal worth $54 per share. Shareholders will receive $27 in cash plus additional Rocket Lab common stock. The company...

Rocket Lab is buying Iridium for $8 billion in a cash-and-stock deal worth $54 per share. Shareholders will receive $27 in cash plus additional Rocket Lab common stock. The company now sees itself as a “vertically integrated space company that designs, builds, launches, and operates its own constellations, delivering critical communications capability to millions of users worldwide.” In essence, therefore, Rocket Lab is now a SpaceX alternative. Given Elon Musk‘s increasingly visible political profile, Rocket Lab may be seen by many firms and individuals as a more responsible and safer partner. Iridium currently has 2.55 million active subscribers for L-band spectrum and LEO-based data and voice direct-to-device services. The hope here is to use Rocket Lab’s launch capabilities to extend t