Trump Declares the Moon Belongs to the U.S. Here Are 5 Space Stocks to Watch

Trump Declares the Moon Belongs to the U.S. Here Are 5 Space Stocks to Watch

Rich Duprey

Tue, September 8, 2026 at 5:43 PM GMT+3 5 min read

Quick Read

• Lockheed Martin's $230 billion backlog and Intuitive Machines' quadrupled revenue signal Golden Dome and lunar contracts are rapidly repricing space defense stocks.

• Musk's SpaceX targets moon landings by 2028 while Redwire's revenue surged 90%, backed by a $981 million Space Systems Command contract win.

• Watch NASA's CLPS task-order awards, Rocket Lab's Neutron static fire, and Golden Dome follow-on tranches to gauge if lunar rhetoric becomes real contract obligations.

• Just released. Our analysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and Lockheed Martin didn't make the cut. Enter your email to see the names that beat LMT. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.

President Donald Trump posted a photograph of the Moon to Truth Social this week with an American flag and the caption "The Moon is ours". Whether trolling, doctrine, or both, it lands at a moment when Washington is pouring real money into space. The Fiscal Year 2027 budget request assigns $71.2 billion to the U.S. Space Force, a $39.4 billion jump over FY 2026, and $17.9 billion for the Golden Dome missile defense program. However, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty forbids nations from claiming celestial bodies, so a caption changes no law. It can move procurement schedules, and that is what matters to shareholders.

Golden Dome Is Reshuffling the Sector

Backlogs across publicly traded space contractors are hitting records this year, driven by missile defense constellations and the Artemis lunar program. Rocket Lab, Intuitive Machines, and Redwire are each turning national security demand into contract wins large enough to reprice their equity. Here are five names positioned for a lunar push.

Free Report, Just Released

Why Didn't LMT Make The Top 10 List?

24/7 Wall St has helped investors make money for over two decades, and our top analysts just finished ranking the definitive Top 10 Stocks To Buy Now. Not the ten biggest companies. Not the ten everyone is arguing about. The ten best stocks to buy right now.

And LMT didn't make the cut!

The report is free, and you can see why we think each stock is a top investment today.

Enter Your Email and See the Ten →

Five Space Stocks to Watch

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) is the incumbent. In late June, the Missile Defense Agency awarded it a $35 billion seven-year contract to quadruple THAAD interceptor production, and the Space Force picked it to build Golden Dome space-based interceptor prototypes with a 2028 demonstration target. Its Orion capsule carried the Artemis II crew farther from Earth than any prior mission. Backlog hit $230 billion. Shares trade near $530.50, up 11.68% year to date.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) is the merchant launcher gunning for tier-one status. Q2 revenue rose 62% to $234 million, backlog reached $2.36 billion, and the Space Force signed a $266 million Haste contract for missile defense launches out of Kodiak, Alaska. Chief Executive Peter Beck said the pending Iridium acquisition positions Rocket Lab to "become a self-launching, tier-1 space power." Neutron is targeted to reach the pad in Q4 2026. Shares are up 50.68% over the past year.

Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) is the closest thing to a pure-play on Moon return. Q2 revenue quadrupled to $206.17 million, and Chief Executive Steve Altemus said national security expanded from 3% to 30% of quarterly revenue behind an 18-satellite Golden Dome AMDT-3 award and NASA lunar reconnaissance contracts. Backlog stands at $1.76 billion. Management guided full-year 2026 revenue to $900 million to $1 billion.

Redwire (NYSE:RDW) supplies components and defense tech. Q2 revenue jumped 89.6% to $117.07 million with a book-to-bill of 1.42. Its rollout solar arrays will power NASA's Space Reactor 1 Freedom Mars mission, and it landed a slot on Space Systems Command's $981 million NIGHTSTAR IDIQ. Shares are up 39.47% year to date.

SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) rounds out the list as the SpaceX-linked vehicle investors use for exposure to Elon Musk's launch and Starlink empire. Q2 revenue reached $7.81 billion, Starlink subscribers doubled to 12.0 million, and Space Force Starshield contracts topped $6 billion. Musk told analysts SpaceX wants to "put boots on the ground, boots on the moon in 2028."

What to Watch Next

The signal is procurement pace, not press posts. Three items over the next two quarters: NASA's next CLPS task-order awards, where Intuitive Machines is competing for four; Rocket Lab's first Neutron static fire at Launch Complex 3; and the Missile Defense Agency's follow-on Golden Dome tranches. If lunar rhetoric translates into accelerated obligations, backlogs already at records could stretch further. If it stays a Truth Social flourish, valuations that assume flawless execution get tested.

Got $1,000? Before You Buy LMT, Read This

If you have cash sitting in your account right now, give this two minutes. After more than two decades of helping investors beat the market, our top analysts at 24/7 Wall St. put together a definitive report on the Top 10 Stocks To Buy Today. And LMT wasn't one of them.

They combed the entire market. It's not 10 ideas, not 10 stocks everyone is talking about, it's what their research points to as the 10 best stocks to buy right now, and it's free. Read more here and see which stocks made the list -->>

Contact editorial@247wallst.com for any questions or corrections.