Stocktwits Space Race Weekly: Why RKLB, FLY, RDW And PL Are Outpacing SPCX

RKLB rose 14% this week after its 96th Electron launch, a bullish Cantor call, an ARK purchase and shareholder approval of its Iridium deal.

• FLY gained 10% as Firefly opened a larger cleanroom that can help it build up to 12 Blue Ghost landers and Elytra vehicles at once.
• Redwire rises 8% after landing a spot on a Space Force contract vehicle with a $980 million ceiling shared by 15 vendors. 
• PL added 7% as its first Project Suncatcher prototype with Google prepares to launch next week.

SpaceX (SPCX) had Starship on the horizon, but Rocket Lab (RKLB), Firefly Aerospace (FLY), Planet Labs (PL) and Redwire (RDW) led the space-stock race through Thursday, each with a different development for investors to weigh.

So far this week, RKLB rose 14%, FLY gained 10%, RDW advanced 8%, and PL added 7%. Meanwhile, SPCX fell 3% over the same period.

Iridium Vote Caps A Busy Week For RKLB

Rocket Lab opened the week on the back of its 96th Electron mission. The rocket delivered Synspective’s 12th StriX radar satellite to orbit over the weekend, marking Rocket Lab’s 17th launch of 2026. A 97th Electron flight, also for Synspective, is scheduled for no earlier than Friday.

Cantor Fitzgerald added to the momentum on Monday, reiterating its Overweight rating and $122 price target. The firm cited Rocket Lab’s launch record and pointed to its developing Neutron rocket and proposed Iridium acquisition as catalysts. ARK Investment Management then bought 359,612 RKLB shares worth about $25.7 million across three funds.

On Thursday, Iridium shareholders approved Rocket Lab’s acquisition, with 99.6% of votes cast in favor. Under the proposed deal, Iridium shareholders would receive $27 in cash and Rocket Lab shares subject to a collar, for a notional value of $54 per Iridium share. The companies expect to close the transaction by mid-2027.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for RKLB remained ‘bullish’ over the past week, even as message volume fell 54%. The ticker’s watcher count rose 0.5% over the same period. Shares are up about 6% so far this year. 

FLY Makes Room For More Moon Landers

Firefly’s catalyst came on Tuesday with the opening of an ISO Class 8 cleanroom at its Cedar Park, Texas, spacecraft campus. The new room is four times the size of its existing cleanroom. Together, the facilities can support simultaneous assembly of up to 12 Blue Ghost lunar landers and Elytra orbital vehicles.

CEO Jason Kim said the expansion gives Firefly capacity to “build, integrate and test more spacecraft” for NASA and national-security customers. The company has five additional lunar missions under contract following its first Blue Ghost landing, along with two Defense Innovation Unit spacecraft contracts. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for FLY rose to ‘bullish’ from ‘neutral’ over the past week, even as message volume fell 22%. The ticker’s watcher count dipped 0.1% over the same period. Shares are up about 3% so far this year. 

Google Boosts PL, Space Force Lifts RDW

Planet Labs opened a Berlin facility on Tuesday with capacity to manufacture up to 60 Pelican imaging satellites annually. A day later, it announced Amazon.ia, an initiative that brings together satellite data, science and AI to monitor the Amazon rainforest.

The bigger market hook came on Thursday. Google said its first Project Suncatcher prototype satellite, developed with Planet, is scheduled to launch next week aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The satellite will test how Google’s Tensor Processing Units withstand launch and perform in orbit as the company explores AI computing infrastructure in space. The mission is an early technology test, with further experiments planned.

Meanwhile, Redwire said Thursday that it was selected as one of 15 vendors for Space Systems Command’s NITE-STAR contract vehicle, which has a ceiling of $980 million. The program covers space test and range capabilities for national-security missions. The ceiling applies to the shared contract vehicle, and Redwire said selection guarantees no revenue. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was ‘bearish’ for PL and ‘bullish’ for RDW. Over the past week, message volume fell 56% for PL and 23% for RDW, while watcher counts were flat for PL and rose 0.1% for RDW. The stocks have diverged sharply this year: PL is down about 11%, while RDW is up 53%. 

SpaceX Carries Google’s AI Test, Starship Is Up Next

SpaceX has also been a consistent part of the news cycle this week. Its rocket is scheduled to carry Google and Planet’s prototype. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that SpaceX has stopped selling Falcon 9 rideshare missions, drawing attention to future launch capacity and potential alternatives for satellite operators. 

The next few days bring two closely watched launches: Rocket Lab’s 97th Electron mission is listed for no earlier than Friday, while SpaceX has Starship Flight 14 scheduled for Monday. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for SpaceX (SPCX) fell to ‘bearish’ from ‘neutral’ over the past week, while message volume declined 14%. Shares are down about 8% so far since its IPO this year.

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