Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) experienced a significant intraday decline, with its stock price plummeting 6.84% during Monday's trading session.

The sharp drop appears to be a reaction to news that Congress has terminated a plan to bring samples back to Earth from the Mars Perseverance Rover. Rocket Lab had proposed in early 2025 to execute this mission by 2031 under a firm fixed-price contract worth approximately $4 billion, but the ambitious project did not survive the Congressional budgeting process in mid-January.

While the Mars sample return mission was a long-term prospect, analysts note that Rocket Lab trades at a high valuation of about 45 times expected sales, making it particularly sensitive to any negative developments that could impact future revenue streams. The company is not expected to report a full-year profit until 2027.