The Special Purpose Acquisition Companies and Technology teams advised Rocket Lab USA (Nasdaq: RKLB) in the completion of its merger with Vector Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: VACQ) to take Rocket Lab public. Vector’s shareholders approved the merger at an annual general meeting of Vector’s shareholders on August 20, 2021. The combined company will retain the Rocket Lab USA, Inc. name and commenced trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on August 25, 2021, with its common stock and warrants trading under the new ticker symbols, “RKLB” and “RKLBW”, respectively.
The gross amount of cash that Rocket Lab will receive from Vector’s trust account and PIPE financing that closed substantially concurrently with the merger, before transaction expenses, equals approximately $777 million. The proceeds are expected to accelerate organic and inorganic growth in Rocket Lab's space systems business, drive the development of the Company’s reusable 8-ton payload class Neutron rocket, and support potential future expansion into space applications enabling Rocket Lab to deliver data and services from space.
Rocket Lab is a global leader in space, building rockets and spacecraft that make it easier to get to orbit and to do amazing things there. Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab provides end-to-end mission services that provide frequent and reliable access to space for civil, defense, and commercial markets. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron launch vehicles and Photon satellite platform and is developing the Neutron launch vehicle.
The Goodwin team was led by Dan Adams and Dane Patterson, and included Jocelyn Arel, Craig Schmitz, James Nikraftar, David Johanson, Brendan Caldon and Hannah Vigil, with invaluable assistance from Lynda Galligan, Grace Wirth, Regina Couto, Rich Matheny, Amy Josselyn, Justin Pierce, Kelsey Lemaster, Leon Peschel, Brian Mukherjee and Kara Kuritz.
For additional details on the closing, please read the press release.