Elon Musk Factor? Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI) Stock Is Trending Overnight: What You Should Know

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI) shares are trending on Friday.

Shares of the Colorado-based photovoltaic company surged 17.78% to $8.02 in after-hours trading on Thursday following the company's announcement of its 2025 achievements and 2026 production schedule.

ASTI closed at $6.81 on Thursday, up 53.03%, according to Benzinga Pro data.

ASTI Stock Jumps on Defense Partnerships

Ascent Solar announced on Thursday that it formed strategic partnerships in 2025 with companies in the commercial space and defense sectors, including NovaSpark, Emtel Energy, CisLunar Industries, Defiant Space, Star Catcher Industries and NOVI Space.

According to the company's press release, Ascent Solar closed a private placement of up to $5.5 million in 2025 and established rapid product delivery capabilities for civil and defense space missions.

Q1 Array Deployments Signal Production Ramp

“We expect to maintain this momentum throughout the year by meeting with more potential partners and achieving even greater efficiency milestones,” said CEO Paul Warley.

Ascent Solar also stated it is starting 2026 with existing orders for array deployments scheduled for the first quarter and plans to deliver UAV arrays to European partners in the first half of the year.

Ascent Solar partnered with the Georgia Institute of Technology to integrate its thin-film technology into unmanned aerial vehicle wings for ocean monitoring.

Musk’s Space Solar Plans

Ascent Solar, known for its pioneering flexible, lightweight thin-film solar panels, said it plans to conduct radiation and atomic-oxygen resilience testing through the first quarter.

The stock surge also comes after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Thursday at the World Economic Forum that the company plans to launch solar-powered AI satellites within the next few years, noting that solar panels in space generate five times more energy than those on the ground due to constant sunlight and the absence of atmospheric interference.

Trading Metrics, Technical Analysis

Ascent Solar Technologies has a market capitalization of $32.09 million, with a 52-week range of $1.12 to $7.40.

Over the past 12 months, Ascent Solar Technologies has gained 129.29%, reflecting a strong longer-term trend.

The stock is currently trading at 90.6% of its 52-week range.

This suggests the stock is in a strong position, though traders should remain cautious as it approaches its highs.

With a strong Momentum in the 93rd percentile, Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that ASTI has a positive price trend across all time frames.

Photo Courtesy: Nguyen Quang Ngoc Tonkin on Shutterstock.com

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.