Space stocks took center stage this week after Elon Musk’s SpaceX filed for an IPO, triggering strong gains across the sector over the past two days.
Companies like Planet Labs and Intuitive Machines were among the biggest winners, each rising around 24%, as investor interest surged.
Wall Street has been buzzing since the confidential filing on Wednesday, with SpaceX’s expected valuation and public debut lifting sentiment around smaller space-tech firms.
Daniel Hanson of Neuberger Berman said a public SpaceX could highlight the strength of its assets while increasing attention on the broader space economy.
Other notable movers include York Space Systems (+18%), Firefly Aerospace (+14%), and Viasat (+13%), far outpacing the S&P 500, which rose just 0.6% in the same period.
Despite the rally, the IPO has raised concerns. Apollo Global Capital chief economist Torsten Slok warned that major listings from SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic could increase concentration risk in the S&P 500.
At the same time, Nasdaq’s move to fast-track listing rules has drawn criticism from Michael Burry and George Noble, who argue that bypassing standard waiting periods could be risky.