Space stocks roared into the new year, with several companies posting double-digit gains year-to-date.
Support from the Trump administration, technical achievements and a potential SpaceX IPO combined to send the sector soaring.
AST SpaceMobile – ASTS
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) has maintained its position as a highly polarized retail favorite in early 2026, with shares consolidating near all-time highs around $91–$100 following a massive 260% rally throughout 2025.
The stock has gained 28% year-to-date, but some institutional analysts have turned bearish. Scotiabank issued a downgrade to Sector Underperform on Wednesday, due to extreme valuation multiples.
Rocket Lab – RKLB
Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) started 2026 with strong bullish momentum, building on a late-2025 rally that saw the stock surge over 65% in a month to reach prices around $85 as of early January.
Rocket Lab stock has gained more than 20% in 2026 alone and is approaching the Street-high price target of $90 issued by Needham at the end of December.
Excitement is building for the upcoming 2026 debut of its medium-lift Neutron rocket and the execution of its $816 million Space Development Agency satellite contract.
Starfighters Space – FJET
Starfighters Space (AMEX:FJET) shares have posted a 20% gain to start 2026.
The rally is driven by the successful Jan. 5 completion of supersonic flight tests for GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) and the massive tailwinds from President Donald Trump's December space superiority executive order, which fast-tracks commercial hypersonic testing.
Virgin Galactic – SPCE
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPCE) has had a sluggish start to 2026, with shares down about 1% year-to-date.
Investors are watching to see if the company can meet its 2026 target for scaled commercial service, especially as analysts from Morgan Stanley and Susquehanna have maintained cautious Underweight and Neutral ratings into the new year.
Firefly Aerospace – FLY
Firefly Aerospace, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLY) investors are looking ahead to the upcoming Blue Ghost Mission 2 lunar landing and the development of the medium-lift Eclipse rocket.
Despite trading well below the $45 debut price, FLY shares are up 34% in 2026 and the stock remains a high-beta favorite for traders betting on its recent inclusion in the Russell 2000 and its growing defense backlog.
Intuitive Machines – LUNR
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) shares are up 17% year-to-date, trading above $19, driven by speculation surrounding the imminent $4.6 billion NASA lunar terrain vehicle contract award.
While analysts at Canaccord and B. Riley recently hiked price targets to the $20 to $22 range, the stock faces short-term volatility following a recent downgrade to Hold by Stifel due to political uncertainty in the award process.
Beyond the contract news, the company is preparing for its highly anticipated IM-3 mission to the Reiner Gamma magnetic anomaly, which remains on track for a mid-2026 launch.
Planet Labs – PL
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) shares have posted a 27% gain to start 2026, driven in part by Monday's announcement of a multi-year, low nine-figure satellite services agreement with Sweden to deliver a suite of satellites, space-based data and intelligence solutions.
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