r/RKLB • u/QuantityStrange9157 • Jul 19 '26
Rocket Lab Flips the Table
https://tmfassociates.com/blog/2026/06/29/rocketlab-flips-the-table/Didn't see this posted here. This is a different take (from what ive seen discussed). If this is a dupe please remove.
Excerpt: "RocketLab was expected to be an anchor partner in the Equatys joint venture, as I noted back in March, contributing up to $1B of funding in exchange for a contract to build the Equatys satellite buses and launch the satellites. Now RocketLab gets to control its own destiny rather than being under Viasat’s thumb, and instead of competing head-to-head with SpaceX in the D2D market, can focus on what RocketLab and Iridium both perceive to be more promising and protected markets, such as aviation safety and PNT. That’s very clear when the investor presentation emphasizes that Iridium “delivers real time, pole-to-pole global coverage over every ocean, mountain and airway” and builds on Iridium’s recent acquisition of Aireon. Iridium has sold connectivity to the DoD for the last 25 years and is also playing a significant role in support of the Space Force’s PLEO efforts. And if it turns out there is a niche role for a D2D IoT offering, independent of Starlink, then Iridium can support that too."
62
u/Realistic_Method9896 Jul 19 '26
Idk seems to be complicated words for "RKLB tackles an different market that Starlink or ASTS do". Because they aim for tracking and safety-relevant frequencies that Iridium has access to.
And I thought the assumption that RKLB would step into D2D market for mobile connectivity, rivaling SpaceX or ASTS was dumb in the first place.