Aerospace and Defense Company of the year

Rocket Lab Wins 2026 ADAM Member of the Year for Neutron Engine Work in Mississippi

Company turned a dormant Stennis test stand into a million square feet of active engine development, staffed by Mississippians

Sept. 4, 2026, FLOWOOD, Miss.—Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) won the 2026 Member of the Year Award from the Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi (ADAM), recognized for building the Archimedes Test Complex at NASA's Stennis Space Center and running the engine development campaign for its Neutron launch vehicle out of Hancock County.

Rocket Lab moved into Stennis in 2022, taking over the dormant A-3 test stand and building it out to roughly one million square feet under a 10-year lease with a 10-year option. The company chose the site for something that cannot be replicated elsewhere: 13,000 acres wrapped in an acoustic and vibration buffer for testing, one of the few places in the United States where a full-scale engine can be fired without encroachment.

The company hired Mississippi workers to staff the complex and has run the Archimedes program there since, working to ensure Rocket Lab’s Neutron flies.

 "The first time I saw Stennis, what got my attention wasn't the test   stand. It was the buffer around it," said Adam Spice, Chief   Financial  Officer of Rocket Lab, who accepted the award on the   main stage of the Mississippi Aerospace & Defense Symposium   (MADS 2026) at the Sheraton Flowood. "You can't buy 120,000   acres of quiet, and you can't build it. Neutron is the hardest   program this company has taken on, and the work that decides   whether that vehicle flies is happening in Hancock County, done by   Mississippians. This one belongs to that team."

 Rocket Lab succeeds Camgian, the Starkville-based defense AI   company that received the award in 2025. “Rocket lab's foresight   and investment at Stennis contributes to our nation's space   superiority and demonstrates Mississippi's assets available to the   aerospace & defense ecosystem.” Says Dr. Gary Butler, Founder and CEO of Camgian and Chairman of ADAM. “Rocket Lab is a highlight of the cutting-edge work and innovation taking place in Mississippi.”

The ADAM Member of the Year Award goes to the member company that measurably expanded what Mississippi's aerospace and defense industry is capable of—not the largest investment in the state, but the one that raised the state's capability and delivers results.

About Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is a leading space company that provides launch services, spacecraft, payloads and satellite components serving commercial, government, and national security markets. Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is the world’s most frequently launched orbital small rocket; its HASTE rocket provides hypersonic test launch capability for the U.S. government and allied nations; and its Neutron launch vehicle in development will unlock medium launch for constellation deployment, national security and exploration missions. Rocket Lab’s spacecraft and satellite components have enabled more than 1,700 missions spanning commercial, defense and national security missions including GPS, constellations, and exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, and Venus. Rocket Lab is a publicly listed company on the Nasdaq stock exchange (RKLB). For more information, visit www.rocketlabcorp.com

About the Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi (ADAM)

The Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi (ADAM) is an industry trade association serving as the convening entity for Mississippi’s aerospace, aeronautics, and defense industries. ADAM fosters collaboration and strategic planning, provides advocacy, and supports marketing and promotional efforts for the state’s aerospace and defense assets. By partnering with industry, government, academia, and other stakeholders, ADAM maximizes industry impact and offers dynamic resources to all of its member companies.

For more information, visit https://www.msaerodefense.org/

About The Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET)

The Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET) is a public-private partnership between the State of Mississippi, NASA, and Mississippi's research universities to connect federal capability with state strategy and industry execution. Mississippi's aerospace, defense, and technology economy is one of the fastest-growing in the South. Anchored by NASA's Stennis Space Center, MSET helps companies access federal and state agencies, partner with universities, and build a workforce that keeps pace with growth.

For more information, visit www.mset.org