Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) surged 5.06% in pre-market trading, driven by news of a three-launch agreement with Japan-based iQPS (Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space) for dedicated missions on its partially reusable Electron rocket.

The deal marks iQPS's third booking of Electron launches in under a year, bringing total booked launches to 18. This adds to recent contract momentum following the company's largest launch order to date — a $266 million multi-launch contract from the U.S. Space Force covering 12 HASTE suborbital launches with options for up to six additional missions. The stacking of multiple contract wins is fueling a continued rebound after the stock had declined over 10% across two consecutive sessions due to CEO Peter Beck's large-scale share disposals under a 10b5-1 plan.

The iQPS missions are scheduled to begin from late 2027 at Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1, while the first Space Force launch is expected no earlier than late this year from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska.