The Next Nvidia Moment?? 3 Hidden Stocks Set To Ride The SpaceX IPO Mania - Get In ASAP Or Regret

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:05]SpaceX's IPO may become the Nvidia moment for the space economy. Not because it will come cheap, but because it could force Wall Street to finally value space infrastructure as a true mega cap growth category. For years, space stocks were treated like speculative science projects, but now reports suggest SpaceX could begin its IPO roadshow this week with valuation chatter around 1.75 trillion dollars and a potential raise of more than 75 billion dollars. If that happens, this would not just be another public listing. It could become one of the largest IPOs ever and possibly the moment when global investors begin treating space the same way they treated artificial intelligence after Nvidia's explosive re-rating. The timing is powerful. SpaceX is not entering this conversation as just a rocket company.

[00:00:54]It has Starlink proving that satellite internet can become a real commercial business, Falcon 9 dominating reusable launches, Starship pushing toward cheaper access to orbit, and deep exposure to defense, national security, broadband, and future space-based data infrastructure. Analysts and market commentators are already calling this a defining new chapter for technology investing because space is no longer just about exploration. It is about connectivity, defense, surveillance, logistics, autonomy, and infrastructure.

[00:01:25]And if SpaceX becomes the stock market's flagship space company, the bigger question for investors is obvious. Which public companies could benefit from the same space re-rating wave? Today, we are breaking down three related stocks that align with this thesis. Companies that are not SpaceX, but could ride the investor attention, capital flows, and valuation reset that a mega SpaceX IPO may trigger. Let's begin with Rocket Lab, ticker symbol RKLB, the public space stock that may become one of the clearest ways investors try to gain exposure to the SpaceX IPO Halo.

[00:02:00]If SpaceX forces Wall Street to reprice the space economy, Rocket Lab stands out as one of the most visible pure-play alternatives already trading in the public market. What makes Rocket Lab compelling is that it is no longer just a small rocket launch company. It has evolved into a vertically integrated space infrastructure platform. In Q1 2026, Rocket Lab reported quarterly revenue of around $200 million growing more than 60% year over year while its backlog climbed above $2.2 billion.

[00:02:31]That backlog shows real demand from governments, defense agencies, commercial satellite operators, and national security customers. Electron remains a major credibility builder.

[00:02:41]With more than 80 missions completed, it is one of the most proven small lift rockets in the world serving Earth observation, science, defense, and time-sensitive satellite missions. But the bigger story is space systems which now represents roughly 2/3 of revenue.

[00:02:57]This segment includes spacecraft platforms, solar panels, star trackers, separation systems, avionics, satellite components, and mission services.

[00:03:07]Meaning Rocket Lab is not only launching payloads, it is building the hardware behind space missions. The next catalyst is Neutron, Rocket Lab's medium-lift rocket expected to debut later in 2026.

[00:03:19]Neutron could move the company into satellite constellations, broadband networks, defense payloads, and missions that currently rely heavily on SpaceX's Falcon 9. Rocket Lab has already signed contracts for five Neutron launches through 2029 along with dozens of Electron and HASTE missions tied to defense and hypersonic testing. If SpaceX lists at a megacap valuation, investors may start treating launch capacity and satellite infrastructure as strategic assets. That is why RKLY could remain one one most important public names in the space re-rating cycle. But while Rocket Lab represents the launch and hardware side of the space economy, the second stock moves into an even more disruptive category, turning satellites into a direct extension of the global telecom network. AST SpaceMobile, ticker symbol ASTS, fits perfectly into the SpaceX IPO re-rating story, but from a completely different angle. Instead of launching rockets or building mission hardware, AST is trying to connect ordinary smartphones directly to satellites without special devices, satellite phones, or extra equipment.

[00:04:24]That difference is the entire thesis.

[00:04:26]AST is not simply chasing broadband from space. It is trying to plug satellites into the existing telecom ecosystem. The company already has partnerships with nearly 60 mobile network operators covering more than 3 billion subscribers globally, including AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Rakuten, Orange, and Bell Canada. That gives AST something extremely valuable before full commercialization, built-in distribution through existing carriers. The technology is also becoming more credible. AST achieved peak download speeds of 98.9 megabits per second using an in-orbit Block One Bluebird satellite and an unmodified smartphone. Its larger Block Two satellites are designed like giant cell towers in low Earth orbit with massive arrays built to communicate with normal phones on Earth. AST says it controls roughly 95% of its supply chain and has around 3,900 patents and patent pending claims, giving it a potential infrastructure moat in direct-to-device satellite connectivity. Financially, AST is still early. Q1 2026 revenue was $14.7 million and losses widened, but management reaffirmed full year 2026 revenue guidance of $150 million to $200 million.

[00:05:44]More importantly, the company reported around 3.5 billion dollars of liquidity, giving it runway to build before commercial revenue fully ramps. The key catalyst is execution. AST is targeting about 45 Bluebird satellites in orbit during 2026 with additional launches expected on Falcon 9. If SpaceX's IPO makes Wall Street value space connectivity as core infrastructure, ASTS could become one of the most closely watched public plays in direct-to-phone satellite broadband. And after Rocket Lab's launch infrastructure and AST Space Mobile's direct-to-phone connectivity, the third stock takes us into the picks and shovels layer of the space defense economy. Redwire, ticker symbol RDW, is a smaller and more speculative name, but it fits directly into the bigger SpaceX IPO theme. The market is starting to reprice space companies as defense, autonomy, and infrastructure platforms, not just futuristic science projects. Redwire is not trying to dominate launches or build direct-to-phone satellite broadband.

[00:06:46]Instead, it provides mission-critical hardware and systems that make modern space operations work. Its portfolio includes spacecraft platforms, power systems, avionics, docking systems, optical payloads, uncrewed aerial systems, and resilient energy solutions.

[00:07:03]In simple words, Redwire is building the behind-the-scenes layer of the space and defense economy.

[00:07:09]The numbers are starting to support that transformation. In Q1 2026, Redwire revenue jumped 57.9% year-over-year to about 97 million dollars, while gross margin expanded from 14.7% to 26.6%.

[00:07:26]The company also ended the quarter with a record backlog of 498.1 million dollars and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.92, meaning new contract awards were almost double the revenue recognized during the quarter. The major shift came after Redwire's Edge Autonomy acquisition, which pushed the company deeper into defense technology. Defense tech revenue grew from about $9.3 million a year ago to $44.3 million in Q1 2026, driven by uncrewed systems, ISR platforms, and military-focused autonomy. That matters because Redwire is no longer just a space hardware company. It is increasingly becoming a space and defense infrastructure platform. Management expects full-year 2026 revenue of $450 million to $500 million, up meaningfully from roughly $335 million in 2025. Redwire is still unprofitable and dilution remains a real risk, but the direction is clear. RDW is evolving from a post-space space hardware story into a scaled space and defense infrastructure company. So, the bigger message is this: SpaceX may be the headline, but the real opportunity is the ecosystem it could awaken. Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile, and Redwire each represent a different layer of the space economy: launch, connectivity, and mission infrastructure. If Wall Street starts treating space like the next AI scale infrastructure theme, these are three names investors will be watching very closely.