Why Rocket Lab USA Inc. (RKLB) Soared on Monday

We recently compiled a list of the 10 Firms Begin Trading Week With Impressive Gains. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Rocket Lab USA Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB) stands against the other stocks.

The stock market kicked off the trading week on a positive note, with all major indices clocking in gains, as investors brushed off President Donald Trump’s latest imposition of hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum products from Canada and Mexico.

The Dow Jones rose 0.38 percent, the S&P 500 grew 0.67 percent, while the Nasdaq rallied 0.98 percent.

Ten companies mirrored a broader market optimism amid a series of positive catalysts sparking buying appetite.

In this article, we will take a look at which companies led the charge and explore the reasons behind their performance.

To come up with Monday’s best performers, we considered only the stocks with at least $2 billion in market capitalization and $5 million in daily trading volume.

A launch pad atop a grassy hill, smoke filled sky from a successful voyage to space.

Rocket Lab USA Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB)

Shares of Rocket Lab USA Inc. jumped by 11.64 percent on Monday to end at $30.60 apiece following news that it would launch a satellite on a dedicated Electron mission for BlackSky on February 18.

The mission, named “Fasten Your Seatbelts” will launch from RKLB’s private orbital launch site, Complex 1 in New Zealand.

The mission will launch the first Gen-3 satellite in BlackSky’s mid-inclination, Earth-imaging constellation to a circular 470-kilometer orbit. It would be the ninth launch for BlackSky since 2019, making RKLB the most prolific launch provider for BlackSky’s constellation to date.

The mission will bring the total number of satellites delivered to space by RKLB to 210 and follow a record year of 16 successful launches in 2024.

“Fasten Your Space Belts” will be RKLB’s second mission of 2025 and its 60th Electron launch overall.

Overall RKLB ranks 8th on our list of Monday’s best performers. While we acknowledge the potential of RKLB as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as RKLB but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.