While Everyone Waits for the SpaceX IPO, These 6 Stocks Are Already Up 300%

Quick question for you this holiday week.

What if the biggest investment opportunity of 2026 isn't buying SpaceX shares when they finally go public, but owning the companies that supply SpaceX right now?

Think about it. Everyone's waiting for the SpaceX IPO. Articles everywhere. Reddit threads. Your neighbor probably mentioned it at Thanksgiving.

But while everyone's standing in line, there's a side door nobody's watching.

And it's wide open.

Let's get the facts straight first.

Elon Musk confirmed it. SpaceX is going public in 2026. 

Target valuation? Somewhere between $800 billion and $1.5 trillion. 

That would make it the biggest IPO in history—bigger than Saudi Aramco, bigger than Alibaba, bigger than anything we've seen.

The company's expecting to pull in $15 billion in revenue this year. By the time the IPO hits, that number could be north of $22 billion. And we're not talking about some speculative tech company burning cash. Starlink alone is printing money with 60-80% gross margins.

But here's what most people miss: The SpaceX IPO isn't just about SpaceX.

It's a validator. A psychological shift.

When SpaceX goes public at over a trillion dollars, it sends a message to every institutional investor on Wall Street: "Space isn't a gamble anymore. It's infrastructure."

And that changes the game for every space stock out there.

You want proof that this matters?

Look at what happened in December when the IPO rumors got serious:

In one month. Just in anticipation.

These aren't tiny penny stocks either. Rocket Lab's market cap is pushing $38 billion now. AST SpaceMobile is over $21 billion.

The smart money isn't waiting for the SpaceX IPO. 

They're buying the companies that'll ride the same wave—without the Day One price spike.

Before we get to the smaller plays, let's talk about the elephant in the room.

Back in 2015, Google dropped $900 million into SpaceX when the company was worth $12 billion. That bought them about 7.5% of the company.

Fast forward to today. If SpaceX goes public at $1.5 trillion, Google's stake is worth over $110 billion.

Read that again. $110 billion. From a $900 million bet.

So when you buy $GOOGL ( ▲ 1.43% ) today, you're not just getting YouTube and Google Search. You're getting one of the biggest SpaceX positions outside of Elon himself.

And the market? It hasn't fully priced this in yet.

It's like finding a winning lottery ticket in an old jacket. Except this jacket is a $2 trillion company that everyone already owns.

Okay, enough about Google. Let's talk about the companies actually doing the work.

What they do: Launch rockets. Build satellites. Win defense contracts.

Rocket Lab just landed an $816 million contract from the U.S. Space Development Agency. That's their biggest contract ever. And it's on top of a $515 million deal they already had.

Do the math. That's over $1.3 billion in government contracts locked in.

They're launching the Neutron rocket in 2026. It's bigger than their current Electron rocket—analysts think it could generate 10x the revenue by 2030.

$RKLB is already up 176% this year. And the Neutron hasn't even flown yet.

What they do: Satellite internet that works with your regular phone. No special equipment needed.

This one's wild. AST SpaceMobile isn't trying to compete with Starlink on their turf. They're going through the telecom carriers—AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone.

They signed commercial deals with Verizon in October and AT&T shortly after. Service launches in 2026.

$ASTS is up over 300% this year. But here's the thing: They're just now starting to deploy the satellites. The real revenue doesn't kick in until next year.

It's speculative, sure. But if it works? The upside is massive.

What they do: Solar arrays, docking systems, life support—basically the stuff that makes space stations work.

Redwire partnered with Vast to build Haven-1, the first commercial space station launching in May 2026. They're also working with Axiom Space and Starlab.

When the International Space Station retires around 2030, there's going to be a scramble for replacement infrastructure. Redwire's positioning themselves to be the Home Depot of space stations.

Market cap's only around $3.5 billion. That's tiny compared to the launch companies. But they've got 30 years of spaceflight heritage and contracts with NASA.

What they do: Building Haven-1, the world's first commercial space station.

This one's a pure bet on the future. Haven-1 launches in May 2026. First crewed mission in June.

If it works, Vast becomes the proof that private companies can operate space habitats. That opens up a massive market—government research, pharmaceutical development, materials science.

The station's smaller than the ISS, but that's the point. They're proving the concept first. Haven-2 comes later.

It's a high risk. But the first-mover advantage here is real.

What they do: Defense propulsion systems. And a 67% stake in Starlab Space.

Starlab's the bigger, more ambitious competitor to Haven-1. It's designed for continuous crewed operations—not just short visits.

NASA's already committed $217 million to Starlab across 27 development milestones. Target launch is 2029.

Voyager's interesting because you're getting two businesses in one: stable defense contracts and a bet on the ISS replacement race.

What they do: Rocket engines and space defense systems.

L3Harris bought Aerojet Rocketdyne in 2023. That made them one of only two U.S. companies that build rocket engines for major launches.

Everyone needs them. SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop—they all rely on L3Harris components.

They've got $843 million in Space Development Agency contracts. And as the space defense budget grows, they're positioned to capture a chunk of it.

This isn't a moonshot play. It's the stable foundation of your space portfolio.

Look, I'm not going to tell you to dump your life savings into space stocks. These are volatile. Some of them could fail.

But if you want exposure to the space economy before the SpaceX IPO validates the entire sector, here's a sensible approach:

Diversify across the ecosystem:

Timing matters:

The SpaceX IPO is expected mid-2026. That's your catalyst window. Early positioning—like, now—gives you the best risk/reward.

After the IPO, the sector gets validated. Prices adjust. Your entry point matters less.

Don't chase:

If a stock runs 50% in a month, that doesn't mean you missed it. But it does mean you should wait for a pullback. Space stocks are volatile. There will be opportunities to get in.

Let's be honest. This sector has landmines.

SpaceX could delay the IPO. Government funding could shift. A rocket could blow up on the launchpad. AST SpaceMobile's satellites might not work as planned. Vast's station could face technical issues.

These are not blue-chip dividend stocks. They're growth plays in an emerging industry.

And some of them trade at insane multiples. Rocket Lab's at 41x price-to-sales. The aerospace average is 9x.

You need to be comfortable with volatility. And you need to be prepared for some of these bets to fail.

But here's the thing: The space economy is real. SpaceX's $1.5 trillion valuation isn't fantasy—it's based on $15 billion in actual revenue with incredible margins.

The infrastructure is being built right now. The contracts are being signed. The launches are happening.

Everyone's focused on the SpaceX IPO. And sure, if you can get shares at the issue price, great.

But you probably won't.

So instead of waiting in line for a lottery ticket, consider buying the companies that are building the space economy alongside SpaceX.

Rocket Lab's launching satellites and winning defense contracts. AST SpaceMobile's partnering with major carriers. Vast and Voyager are building the space stations that'll replace the ISS. L3Harris is supplying the engines that power it all.

And Google? They've been sitting on that SpaceX stake for a decade. You can buy a piece of it today through Alphabet.

The 2026 SpaceX IPO will change everything. The question is: Do you want to react to it, or position ahead of it?

Wall Street's already moving. The December surge in space stocks wasn't random. It was the smart money getting in early.

You've still got time. 

Happy holidays. And make 2026 the year you stop chasing IPOs and start owning the infrastructure instead.

Trader Insights Media tracks thousands of companies every week using rigorous financial analysis.

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