U.S. aerospace company Rocket Lab said it plans to acquire Mynaric, a German company responsible for manufacturing communication equipment for satellite constellations.
In a statement Tuesday, Rocket Lab said it would acquire all of Mynaric’s outstanding equity interest for $75 million. The purchase will be completed once the satellite company completes restructuring in Germany.
The $75 million acquisition is a fraction of the $300 million already invested in Mynaric. The purchase also gives Rocket Lab a foothold in Europe, a stated goal of the company.
Rocket Lab said the acquisition would strengthen its ability to supply satellite communications technology to handle tasks and would improve its launch capabilities. The company said it will use Mynaric’s optical terminals to serve its growing list of customers.
“Rocket Lab would acquire extensive production assets, Intellectual Property, product inventory and committed backlog related to satellite-to-satellite optical connectivity solutions for next-generation constellations, augmenting Rocket Lab’s already extensive portfolio of satellite components, subsystems and software,” Rocket Lab said in a statement.
Mynaric’s optical terminals use laser technology to facilitate communications between satellites in orbiting clusters, also known as constellations.
Rocket Lab said the acquisition will help it have a hand in every part of the space industry.
“Rocket Lab is pursuing every part of the space value chain. We launch our own rockets, we build satellites in constellation volumes, and now we’re closing in on the final step and most valuable part of the space economy — operating our own constellations to provide data and services from space using our newly announced Flatellite spacecraft,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said. “Mynaric has paved the way in developing laser technology. Their team and technologies will make a compelling addition to our satellite component portfolio, and we look forward to making the technology available at scale for our own constellations and those of our customers.”
Mynaric is already a subcontractor to Rocket Lab, providing optical communication systems to the company’s constellations.
