Free cash flow
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. Free cash flow increased by 32.2% to -$77.40M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 6.6%, from -$82.90M to -$77.40M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a 34.8% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
cf_free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | -$2.03M | -$54.80M | -$36.17M | -$32.58M | -$51.08M | -$31.35M | -$33.94M | -$38.06M | -$16.64M | -$46.25M | -$52.63M | -$21.77M | -$28.34M | -$41.93M | -$23.94M | -$82.90M | -$55.28M | -$69.44M | -$114.19M | -$77.40M |
| QoQ Change | — | <-999% | +34.0% | +9.9% | -56.8% | +38.6% | -8.3% | -12.1% | +56.3% | -178.0% | -13.8% | +58.6% | -30.2% | -47.9% | +42.9% | -246.3% | +33.3% | -25.6% | -64.4% | +32.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | <-999% | +42.8% | +6.2% | -16.8% | +67.4% | -47.5% | -55.1% | +42.8% | -70.4% | +9.3% | +54.5% | -280.9% | -95.0% | -65.6% | -376.9% | +6.6% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Rocket Lab USA, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) reported free cash flow of -$77.40M in Q1 2026.
- How has Rocket Lab USA, Inc.'s free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Rocket Lab USA, Inc.'s free cash flow increased by 6.6% year-over-year, from -$82.90M to -$77.40M.
- What is the long-term trend for Rocket Lab USA, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Rocket Lab USA, Inc.'s free cash flow has grown at a 34.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$97.49M to -$321.81M.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.