After a brutal July rout, publicly traded space stocks are staging a powerful comeback, driven by satellite launches, defense contracts, earnings beats, and fresh lunar milestones.
Voyager Technologies (VOYG) led all gainers with a 54% weekly return, followed by Redwire (RDW) at 38%, AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) at 29%, and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 28%.
Firefly Aerospace (FLY), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), Spire Global (SPIR), BlackSky (BKSY), Virgin Galactic (SPCE), Viasat (VSAT), and Planet Labs (PL) also posted double-digit gains during the stretch.
SpaceX (SPCX) was the lone decliner, falling 4% over five sessions as its first post-IPO lockup expiration overshadowed what would otherwise have been a blockbuster earnings report.
ASTS powered Wednesday’s rebound by launching BlueBird satellites 11, 12, and 13 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with each satellite more than three times the size of the initial Block 1 spacecraft.
The new BlueBird satellites are expected to deliver speeds approaching 200 Mbps directly to ordinary smartphones, nearly double the record set by Block 1, marking a major technical leap for the company.
BlueBirds 14 through 16 are already preparing for launch, production has advanced through satellite 42, and AST has nearly 60 carrier partners representing more than 3 billion subscribers and over $1.2 billion in contracted commitments.
Rocket Lab’s gains were fueled by a $397 million Space Force contract to build, launch, and operate threat-tracking “Flatellites” aboard Neutron, following a separate award worth up to $266 million for 12 suborbital launches last month.
Redwire (RDW) reported record Q2 revenue of $117.1 million, beating the $107.7 million consensus, while gross margin improved dramatically to 27.8% from negative 30.9%, and backlog hit a record $542.1 million.
Voyager (VOYG) reported record revenue of $52.7 million alongside bookings of $113 million, and CEO Dylan Taylor said, “Demand continues to build faster than what we’re converting into revenue.”
The company raised its 2026 revenue forecast to $275 million to $305 million, well above the $240.8 million analyst consensus, with Golden Dome programs contributing $84 million in quarterly bookings alone.
SpaceX reported that Q2 revenue surged 92% to $7.8 billion and Starlink subscribers nearly doubled to 12 million, with CEO Elon Musk projecting $100 billion in annualized revenue by end of 2026.
Despite those headline numbers, SpaceX shares plunged 14% on Wednesday to $108.27, roughly 20% below their $135 June IPO price and 49% beneath their post-listing peak, as lockup expiration fears overwhelmed bullish sentiment.
As many as 912 million of SpaceX’s 13.6 billion shares could become eligible for sale following Thursday’s first employee and early-investor lockup expiration, more than doubling the current public float.
NASA amplified the sector’s momentum by outlining progress toward a Moon Base near the lunar south pole, with more than 20 robotic landings planned through 2029 to test technology and establish infrastructure before astronauts arrive.
Blue Origin added to Wednesday’s positive tone by tracing May’s New Glenn explosion to a BE-4 engine oxygen valve, with CEO Dave Limp saying small modifications can be retrofitted to existing engines, opening a path back to flight by year-end.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was “extremely bullish” for both RDW and VOYG, with both attracting “extremely high” message volume, while ASTS and RKLB drew “bullish” sentiment from the retail crowd.
Over the past year, RKLB jumped 67%, ASTS gained 30%, LUNR climbed 22%, and VOYG edged up 2%, while RDW fell 27%, SPCX dropped 33%, and FLY sank 62%.
