Iridium Communications stockholders have voted to approve the company’s acquisition by Rocket Lab, with approximately 99.6 percent of votes cast, representing around 81.0 percent of Iridium’s outstanding shares, in favour of the deal at a special stockholder meeting. Under the agreed terms, Iridium stockholders will receive 27.00 dollars in cash plus Rocket Lab shares calculated by an exchange ratio subject to a collar, for a total notional value of 54.00 dollars per Iridium share. “We appreciate the strong support of our stockholders for this transaction and the bright future we are building with Rocket Lab,” said Matt Desch, Iridium’s chief executive. “Today’s vote is an important milestone toward bringing together two companies with complementary capabilities, a shared commitment to innovation, and deep experience supporting some of the world’s most critical missions.” Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck said: “Today’s vote is an important milestone in bringing together Rocket Lab and Iridium to create a next generation space powerhouse. We’re grateful to have the strong support of Iridium’s shareholders in this important step, bringing us closer to combining Iridium’s trusted global network, spectrum and decades of operating experience with Rocket Lab’s extensive launch and space systems capabilities to unlock a new era of space applications.”

A DEAL MONTHS IN THE MAKING

Rocket Lab first announced its agreement to acquire Iridium at the end of June 2026, framing the combination as bringing together launch, spacecraft manufacturing, spectrum and global satellite communications under one roof, an arrangement the companies say removes the cost of buying launches from third parties for constellation deployment and gives Rocket Lab immediate access to Iridium’s global low Earth orbit network and its millions of subscribers, alongside new opportunities in direct-to-device connectivity and resilient positioning and navigation services. The transaction, still subject to remaining regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to complete by the middle of 2027; complete voting results from today’s meeting will be reported in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.