Two of the most closely watched names in the space sector are set to report quarterly earnings Monday in a high-stakes showdown for retail investors.
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) have both rallied sharply heading into results, drawing intensified attention from traders on Stocktwits and Wall Street analysts alike.
RKLB narrowly outperformed ASTS this week, gaining 17% compared with a 15% advance for ASTS heading into the earnings reports.
Retail sentiment toward both stocks improved to “bullish” on Stocktwits, upgraded from “neutral” just a week earlier, reflecting growing confidence among individual investors.
RKLB recorded stronger follower growth, with its watcher base rising 16% over the past three months and 56% over the past year, compared with increases of 12% and 47% for ASTS.
Analysts tracked by Koyfin expect AST SpaceMobile’s quarterly revenue to surge 133% from the previous quarter to $34.4 million, while its adjusted loss is projected to narrow to $0.23 per share from $0.66.
Rocket Lab enters Monday’s results with a substantially larger revenue base, with quarterly sales expected to grow 15% from a quarter ago to $230.94 million.
Wall Street’s price targets favor Rocket Lab, with an average 12-month target of $111.31 representing a 47% upside from the stock’s last close, compared with $80.48 and 19% upside for ASTS.
RKLB holds a “Strong Buy” consensus among 18 analysts, including 14 positive ratings and four “Hold” recommendations, with no sell ratings currently on record.
ASTS carries a “Buy” consensus among 13 analysts, although seven recommend holding the stock and two have issued bearish ratings on the company.
On the operational front, AST SpaceMobile launched BlueBird satellites 11, 12 and 13 from Cape Canaveral, carrying what the company describes as the largest communications arrays deployed in low Earth orbit.
The new satellites can deliver speeds approaching 200 Mbps, which is nearly double the company’s first-generation peak performance level.
ASTS expanded integration testing across eight European countries with Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Ukraine ahead of planned beta services later this year.
The company has agreements with nearly 60 operators covering over three billion subscribers and more than $1.2 billion in contracted commercial revenue commitments globally.
Rocket Lab completed its 92nd Electron mission Thursday, deploying an Earth-imaging satellite for Japan’s iQPS after an original July 1 attempt was automatically aborted moments before liftoff.
The mission marked Rocket Lab’s 13th Electron launch of 2026 and its eighth deployment for iQPS, all completed with 100% mission success across the partnership.
Another 10 dedicated launches are booked before 2030, bringing iQPS’ total contracted missions to 18 and providing Rocket Lab with a solid revenue backlog.
Rocket Lab also enters earnings with a $397 million Space Force award to build, launch and operate satellites that track airborne threats.
That award followed a record $266 million contract for 12 suborbital launches, with options for six more, bringing total recent Space Force awards to $663 million.
Over the longer term, RKLB has outpaced ASTS, gaining 72% over the past year and 8% year-to-date, while ASTS has climbed 30% over 12 months but slipped 7% year-to-date.
