Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) shares plummeted 13.79% during intraday trading on Wednesday.

The sharp decline comes as investors react to news that Congress has declined to fund a planned 2031 Mars sample-return mission tied to NASA's Perseverance rover. This decision effectively ends Rocket Lab's chance to win a multibillion-dollar role in ferrying Martian rock, soil, and gas samples back to Earth.

The company had outlined a roughly $4 billion concept for the mission, representing a potential long-duration, flagship government contract. The loss of this prospect damages the narrative that Rocket Lab could expand from launch services into high-margin deep-space missions.