Rocket Lab Corp shares are rising in extended trading Tuesday after the company announced plans to acquire electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payload development and manufacturing company Geost.

What Happened: Rocket Lab announced it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Tucson, Arizona-based Geost, positioning the company as a provider of end-to-end national security space solutions.

Geost is a provider to high-priority national security satellites. Rocket Lab noted that the company’s core capabilities strengthen its position for achieving the U.S. Department of Defense’s goals for resilient, proliferated space architectures, like the proposed Golden Dome architecture and the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer.

Rocket Lab will acquire the company for $275 million, which includes a mix of $125 million of cash and $150 million in privately placed shares of Rocket Lab common stock. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025.

“Rocket Lab was founded to disrupt the traditional space industry and we’re doing just that by expanding our ability to deliver complete, mission-critical space solutions. With the acquisition of Geost, we’re bringing advanced electro-optical and infrared payloads in-house to support secure, responsive, and cost-effective systems at scale,” said Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab.

“These technologies enable spacecraft that can detect, interpret, and respond to threats in real time, enhancing our role as a trusted provider of end-to-end space capabilities for the United States and its allies — with greater speed, intelligence, and operational control.”

Through the acquisition, Rocket Lab will gain the Geost’s extensive product assets and manufacturing facilities and laboratories across Arizona and northern Virginia, intellectual property and product inventory. Rocket Lab will also add 115 employees from the team, bringing its total headcount to over 2,600.

Rocket Lab executives are currently discussing the acquisition on a conference call that kicked off at 5 p.m. ET.

RKLB Price Action: Rocket Lab shares were up after-hours 4.14% at $29.95 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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