IRDM

MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a leading provider of global voice, data, aircraft surveillance, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite services, today announced that Altair Semiconductor, a world leader in cellular IoT chips, is integrating Iridium NTN Direct℠ capability into Altair's ALT1350 and next-generation ALT1550 IoT chipset platforms.

Rocket Lab tore up its $3.6 billion bridge loan without borrowing a dollar, and the Iridium deal is now fully funded. Iridium's roughly $500 million of annual EBITDA turns Rocket Lab's $80 million EBITDA loss into about $420 million, before Neutron. Up to 72 million new shares are coming, but only 17 million hinge on the collar's stock-price window.

Space investing in October 2026 calls for discipline. Rising defense budgets, the Golden Dome missile defense initiative and growing demand for direct-to-device satellite connectivity are raising the whole sector.

Rocket Lab is accelerating its evolution into a vertically integrated space infrastructure platform with the strategic acquisition of Iridium Communications. RKLB's buy rating is reinforced by the addition of Iridium's mature, cash-generating LEO network, entrenched government contracts, and utility-like recurring revenues. The Iridium deal, valued at approximately $54/share, provides RKLB with immediate scale, defensible orbital assets, and exposure to high-value defense and connectivity markets.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) shares are rallying after a first-step regulatory clearance on its planned acquisition, while the target, Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM), is barely moving on the same news.

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) stock is rising 3% to $64.14 in Tuesday morning trading as investors respond to progress on the company's planned acquisition of Iridium Communications. Rocket Lab completed a $1.

I rate Iridium a Hold with a $48 target, reflecting limited upside versus deal risk and timeline. The current valuation is driven by the pending Rocket Lab merger, not IRDM's standalone fundamentals. Deal structure, regulatory approvals, and RKLB share price at close are the primary catalysts and risks.

Newly completed roaming agreement extends Deutsche Telekom's IoT coverage onto Iridium's satellite network  MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a leading provider of global voice, data, aircraft surveillance, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite services, and Deutsche Telekom IoT (DT IoT) today announced the successful transmission of a voice message over Iridium NTN Direct℠ in a demonstration with Toyota.

The SOLION-100 combines GMDSS, Ship Security Alert System and Long-Range Identification and Tracking capabilities in a single Iridium Certus 100 terminal for newbuild and retrofit vessels. HAMBURG, Germany, Sept.

Regulatory friction at the Federal Communications Commission is turning a merger question into a share-price story, with SpaceX challenging Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM | IRDM Price Prediction) conduct as the agency reviews Rocket Lab's (NASDAQ:RKLB) pending $8 billion takeover.