Rocket Lab US$3.6bn bridge commitment for the Iridium acquisition
Fund the cash part of Rocket Lab's acquisition of Iridium (US$27.00 cash plus Rocket Lab shares per Iridium share; about US$8bn enterprise value)
Key terms
- Borrower or issuer
- Rocket Lab
- Date
- 28 Jun 2026
- Type
- Acquisition finance
- Amount
- US$3.6bn
Recorded terms
- Structure
- Committed 364-day senior secured bridge term loan facility
- Lenders and arrangers
- Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, commitment parties; Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
- Country
- United States
Parties
- Rocket Lab borrower or issuer
- Lenders: Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank
Similar financings
| Date | Financing | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jul 2026 | Iridium US$183m seller term loan for the Aireon buyout | Acquisition finance | US$183.4m |
| 30 Dec 2025 | Indra acquisition financing for Hispasat | Acquisition finance | €700m |
| 19 Jun 2024 | SES acquisition financing for Intelsat | Acquisition finance | €3bn |
| 25 Mar 2024 | Iridium US$125m incremental term loan for the Satelles acquisition | Acquisition finance | US$125m |
| 30 May 2023 | Viasat US$1.35bn acquisition financing for Inmarsat | Acquisition finance | US$1.35bn |
More from Rocket Lab
| Date | Financing | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Feb 2024 | Rocket Lab US$355m 4.25% convertible notes due 2029 | Convertible | US$355m |
| 10 Jun 2021 | Rocket Lab US$100m secured term loan (Hercules Capital) | Bank facility | US$100m |
M&A and investment involving Rocket Lab
| Date | Deal | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2026 | Rocket Lab acquisition of Iridium | M&A Announced | US$8bn |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Rocket Lab acquisition of Mynaric | M&A | US$155.3m |
| 12 Aug 2025 | Rocket Lab acquisition of Geost | M&A | US$275m |
| 18 Jan 2022 | Rocket Lab acquisition of SolAero | M&A | US$80m |
| 25 Aug 2021 | Rocket Lab SPAC merger with Vector Acquisition: PIPE | SPAC merger | US$467m |
Sources
- Rocket Lab Form 8-K: merger agreement with Iridium and debt commitment letter sec.gov · 29 Jun 2026
- Iridium Form 8-K: consent and amendment no. 4 to its credit agreement sec.gov · 15 Sep 2026
About this record
Record ORB-2026-0012, taken from an issuer, lender or government announcement. Confirmed against the primary documents listed. Amounts are as announced; US$ equivalents use approximate annual average exchange rates. Spotted an error or have a document we have missed? Send a correction, and changes are logged on Updates and corrections.
Read the structure
Acquisition debt is committed before signing, often as a bridge, and refinanced with bonds or term loans once the deal closes.
