Why Rocket Lab Stock Plunged 15% in October and Why Its Decline Might Be Short-Lived

RKLB fell 21.5% in October after Rocket Lab pushed the inaugural launch of its Neutron rocket from late 2024 to 2027. Manufacturing problems with the rocket's carbon fiber propellant domes triggered the delay and the sell-off.

The headline of the source article cites a 15% decline, while the body reports 21.5%. The body figure is the more specific number, and it frames the size of the drawdown for anyone sizing a position.

Management says the dome problem has been corrected and that inspection of a new propellant dome is complete. That shifts the narrative from an open-ended manufacturing question to a resolved one, though the 2027 launch date still stands as the company's timeline for Neutron.

Operations elsewhere continued. Rocket Lab logged its 99th successful Electron launch, evidence that the existing launch business kept executing while Neutron slipped.

The planned acquisition of Iridium Communications (IRDM) remains in focus. The source frames the deal as a step toward Rocket Lab becoming an end-to-end space company. Interpretation: the deal gives RKLB a strategic story that does not depend on Neutron's schedule, which may be why the article argues the decline could be short-lived.