Rocket Lab (RKLB) Research & Development (2020 - 2026)
Rocket Lab's Research & Development came in at $82.43 million for Q2 2026, up 24.6% from $66.13 million a year earlier and up 2.4% from the prior quarter.
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Analysis
Rocket Lab (RKLB) Research & Development (2020 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
Over the trailing twelve months to Jun 30, 2026, Rocket Lab reported Research & Development of $312.42 million, up 43.8% year-over-year; for FY2025, it came in at $270.72 million, up 55.2% from FY2024.
- Research & Development has increased in each of the last five years, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 69.9% (FY2020 to FY2025).
- Going back by year, Research & Development was $174.39 million in FY2024 (+46.5%), $119.05 million in FY2023 (+82.7%), $65.17 million in FY2022 (+56.0%) and $41.77 million in FY2021 (+118.2%).
- The Q2 2026 figure represents the highest quarterly Research & Development in data going back to Q3 2020.
- Year-over-year, Research & Development has increased for 20 consecutive quarters, with growth averaging 49.9% over the last eight quarters.
- Over the past five years, the year-over-year growth in Research & Development ranged from 23.4% (Q3 2022) to 189.4% (Q3 2021).
- Business Quant data shows RKLB's Research & Development at $80.51 million (Q1 2026), $78.78 million (Q4 2025) and $70.69 million (Q3 2025) in the three quarters before Q2 2026.
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | R&D (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Electric | 324.09 Bn | 278.09 Bn | 4.68 Bn | 460.00 Mn |
| 2 | Rtx | 250.22 Bn | 223.44 Bn | 5.13 Bn | 726.00 Mn |
| 3 | Boeing | 147.08 Bn | 53.78 Bn | 2.41 Bn | 921.00 Mn |
| 4 | Lockheed Martin | 117.51 Bn | 104.24 Bn | 2.45 Bn | - |
| 5 | Howmet Aerospace | 90.46 Bn | 86.07 Bn | 951.00 Mn | 8.00 Mn |
| 6 | General Dynamics | 89.77 Bn | 76.88 Bn | 2.18 Bn | - |
| 7 | Motorola Solutions | 73.88 Bn | 70.24 Bn | 1.68 Bn | 260.00 Mn |
| 8 | Northrop Grumman | 68.68 Bn | 57.92 Bn | 2.12 Bn | - |
| 9 | Honeywell International | 66.86 Bn | 19.30 Bn | 3.65 Bn | 524.00 Mn |
| 10 | Rocket Lab | 41.68 Bn | 36.00 Bn | 84.58 Mn | 82.43 Mn |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 82.43 Mn |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 80.51 Mn |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 78.78 Mn |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 70.69 Mn |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 66.13 Mn |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 55.11 Mn |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 48.26 Mn |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 47.72 Mn |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 39.91 Mn |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 38.50 Mn |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 37.49 Mn |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 26.63 Mn |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 31.04 Mn |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 23.91 Mn |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 15.02 Mn |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 17.51 Mn |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 19.17 Mn |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 13.48 Mn |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 11.97 Mn |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 14.19 Mn |
API Access
Rocket Lab Research & Development API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=research-and-development&ticker=RKLB&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "research-and-development", "ticker": "RKLB", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=research-and-development&ticker=RKLB&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();