Major Global M&A and IPO Deals: EasyJet, Rocket Lab, and SpaceX in Focus

M&A/IPO | Mon Jul 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) | 8 sources

Large-scale acquisitions and IPOs closed across aviation, aerospace, mining, and tech sectors.

Analysis

[EasyJet] accepted a £5.5 billion acquisition offer from Castlelake ^[2][4][6]

• Led by U.S. private credit group Castlelake
• £5.5 billion
• approximately $6.9 billion in scale
• Deal comes amid soaring jet fuel prices and weakened demand following the Iran war
• Board recommendation forthcoming

[Rocket Lab] signed an $8 billion agreement to acquire Iridium Communications ^[7]

• Deal structured as half cash and half stock
• Expected to close in the first half of 2027
• Entry into satellite mobile business to compete with SpaceX Starlink
• Iridium posted $114.4 million in net income last year

[SpaceX] completed the largest IPO in history ^[8]

• IPO price of $135
• raising $75 billion in total
• Over $85 billion raised including overallotment
• Retail investor allocation exceeded 20%
• Rose approximately 18% to $160 three weeks after listing

[Genesis Minerals] submitted a $3.9 billion counter-bid for Vault Minerals ^[1]

• Mixed cash and stock structure
• Last-minute bid overturning existing agreement with Regis Resources
• Signals restructuring in Australian gold mining industry

[Bending Spoons] completed a Nasdaq listing to form a $23 billion tech empire ^[3]

• Grew from an Italian startup to a global internet company
• Strategy of acquiring and rebuilding distressed brands
• Result of more than a decade of accumulated M&A

[NIQ] completed acquisition of Flywheel's China and Southeast Asia businesses ^[5]

• Targeting Flywheel's China and Southeast Asia business units
• Acquisition process finalized

Sources

• [1] Genesis Makes Rival Bid for Vault in $3.9 Billion Deal - Bloomberg Markets
• [2] EasyJet Agrees to Castlelake’s Latest Bid Topping £5 Billion - Bloomberg Markets
• [3] How Bending Spoons built a $23bn tech empire from struggling brands - Financial Times
• [4] EasyJet reaches outline agreement on £5.5bn takeover by Castlelake - Financial Times
• [5] NIQ (NIQ) Completes Acquisition of Flywheel’s China and Southeast Asia Business - Yahoo Finance
• [6] EasyJet agrees in principle to $6.9B takeover offer from Castlelake - Seeking Alpha Market News
• [7] Could Buying Rocket Lab Stock Today Set You Up for Life? - The Motley Fool
• [8] If You'd Invested $10,000 in the SpaceX IPO, Here's How Much You Would Have Now - The Motley Fool