Rocket Lab annual r&d spending
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Rocket Lab R&D Spending Growth & History (RKLB)
Rocket Lab's r&d spending was $270.7M for fiscal 2025.
View full Rocket Lab company overviewRocket Lab annual r&d spending history
| Fiscal year | Period ended | R&D spending | Change | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-12-31 | $270.7M | $96.3M | +55.23% |
| 2024 | 2024-12-31 | $174.4M | $55.3M | +46.48% |
| 2023 | 2023-12-31 | $119.1M | $53.9M | +82.69% |
| 2022 | 2022-12-31 | $65.2M | $23.4M | +56.03% |
| 2021 | 2021-12-31 | $41.8M | $22.6M | +118.19% |
| 2020 | 2020-12-31 | $19.1M | — | — |
Rocket Lab quarterly r&d spending
Q3.20
Q1.21
Q2.21
Q3.21
Q4.21
Q1.22
Q2.22
Q3.22
Q4.22
Q1.23
Q2.23
Q3.23
Q4.23
Q1.24
Q2.24
Q3.24
Q4.24
Q1.25
Q2.25
Q3.25
Q4.25
Q1.26
Q2.26
| Fiscal quarter | Period ended | R&D spending | Change | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 2026-06-30 | $82.4M | $16.3M | +24.64% |
| Q1 2026 | 2026-03-31 | $80.5M | $25.4M | +46.10% |
| Q4 2025 | 2025-12-31 | $78.8M | $30.5M | +63.26% |
| Q3 2025 | 2025-09-30 | $70.7M | $23.0M | +48.13% |
| Q2 2025 | 2025-06-30 | $66.1M | $26.2M | +65.70% |
| Q1 2025 | 2025-03-31 | $55.1M | $16.6M | +43.13% |
| Q4 2024 | 2024-12-31 | $48.3M | $10.8M | +28.72% |
| Q3 2024 | 2024-09-30 | $47.7M | $21.1M | +79.23% |
| Q2 2024 | 2024-06-30 | $39.9M | $8.9M | +28.60% |
| Q1 2024 | 2024-03-31 | $38.5M | $14.6M | +61.07% |
| Q4 2023 | 2023-12-31 | $37.5M | $22.5M | +149.62% |
| Q3 2023 | 2023-09-30 | $26.6M | $9.1M | +52.08% |
| Q2 2023 | 2023-06-30 | $31.0M | $11.9M | +61.94% |
| Q1 2023 | 2023-03-31 | $23.9M | $10.4M | +77.38% |
| Q4 2022 | 2022-12-31 | $15.0M | $3.0M | +25.47% |
| Q3 2022 | 2022-09-30 | $17.5M | $3.3M | +23.39% |
| Q2 2022 | 2022-06-30 | $19.2M | $10.6M | +124.70% |
| Q1 2022 | 2022-03-31 | $13.5M | $6.4M | +90.41% |
| Q4 2021 | 2021-12-31 | $12.0M | — | — |
| Q3 2021 | 2021-09-30 | $14.2M | $9.3M | +189.39% |
| Q2 2021 | 2021-06-30 | $8.5M | — | — |
| Q1 2021 | 2021-03-31 | $7.1M | — | — |
| Q3 2020 | 2020-09-30 | $4.9M | — | — |
Rocket Lab r&d spending trends
Over the last five fiscal years, Rocket Lab's r&d spending increased from $19.1M to $270.7M, a change of $251.6M. The latest reported quarter, Q2 2026, shows $82.4M.
About the metric
What research and development spending means
Research and development (R&D) spending covers the costs of creating and improving products, services, software, technologies, and processes. Higher R&D spending may support future innovation, but the amount alone does not show whether those investments will generate returns.
Calculation and source
SEC-reported R&D expense
TickerStat standardizes research and development expense reported in company SEC filings, including the software-specific US-GAAP R&D concept when it is the filer’s primary R&D expense line. It is historical company-reported spending, not an estimate or forecast. Fiscal periods can differ from calendar years, so exact period-end dates are included.
Review Rocket Lab source filings ↗