As of early 2026, the array of space stocks has gravitated from speculative shooting-stars to a sober, concrete, industrial asset class. The narrative shift is a rise in defence budgets (US, Europe etc) and the frothing at the mouth anticipation of a mid-2026 SpaceX IPO, plus some side-bets including the Moon. Space investing has had a blast, and all the top investing websites are latching on.
So What is the Space Trend Then?
The SpaceX Moonshine is mesmerising everyone with reports of a mid-2026 SpaceX IPO and a $1.5 trillion valuation. This has created a pre-party spill-over, with investors piling into SpaceX-adjacent stocks. Think of Rocket Lab as the only credible US multi-launch alternative.
Also shifting into view is the Orbital Data Centers, Compute in Space, AI goes Astronaut theme: There is a growing narrative that space, with its limitless solar power and natural cooling, is the best place for AI data centers. Stocks like Redwire and SpaceX (via its xAI acquisition) are trending as they build the hardware for “compute in orbit”. There are small players elbowing their way in relative to their nations’ defence requirements.
Back to Earth, run to your bunker, because the “Golden Dome” Initiative is blowing up like never before. The U.S. government has prioritized a multi-layered missile defense shield. Blow off the dust from the Readan Ear Star Wars plans? Maybe. This is driving massive, reliable contracts for Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, making them “safe haven” space plays as they are darlings of the Space Military Complex.
A rising theme is Direct-to-Device: AST SpaceMobile and again SpaceX’s Starlink are in a race to connect regular smartphones to satellites. This is currently the most promising, high-growth retail trade in the sector. However, it might be more complicated. Afterall, if you are in a remote area and you need reliable connectivity, existing Satellite Phones are reliable and cheaper than before.
Finally, the CisLunar Economy, warts and all, gravity wells and abrasive regolith: Artemis II is scheduled to return humans to lunar orbit soon, and companies such as Intuitive Machines are trending as they transition from “experimental” to “infrastructure providers” for the Moon. Parallel is ispace and Firefly.