Space-related stocks rallied in after-hours trading on Thursday as investors anticipate SpaceX's expected Nasdaq debut on Friday under the ticker SPCX.
In the after-hours session, these stocks went trending:
| Company | % After Hours Change | After Hours Price |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPCE) | +13.26% | $6.49 |
| AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) | +6.86% | $104.25 |
| Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) | +5.85% | $121.50 |
| Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) | +4.77% | $35.80 |
| Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) | +4.43% | $32.00 |
Why The Rally Happened
Earlier in the week, many space stocks declined as retail investors sold positions to free up cash for the SpaceX offering. Thursday's after-hours rebound reflected a relief rally, with capital returning to the sector after the IPO's pricing details helped reduce uncertainty.
SpaceX’s Friday Nasdaq debut at $135 per share sent traders scrambling into publicly listed space names. With no direct pure-play hedge available, traders rotated into the next-best alternative, driving broad after-hours gains across SPCE, ASTS, RKLB, PL and LUNR.
Company-Specific Catalysts
Not all moves were purely sentiment-driven. Several names carried independent catalysts that added fundamental weight to the rally.
AST SpaceMobile carried an additional company-specific tailwind. Its BlueBird satellite launch was confirmed for Jun. 17 on Tuesday, giving traders a near-term operational catalyst beyond the broader SpaceX IPO momentum.
Rocket Lab had an additional catalyst. The stock’s recent inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 added a separate, index-related tailwind beyond the broader SpaceX IPO sentiment.
Intuitive Machines is one of NASA‘s key commercial partners, giving it direct government contract exposure, grounding it in fundamentals beyond pure sector momentum.
Virgin Galactic also had its own company-specific development. The company filed a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Wednesday, disclosing it redeemed $30.5 million of its 9.80% First Lien Notes through a share issuance, strengthening its balance sheet ahead of planned commercial operations in fourth quarter 2026.
Planet Labs was not just riding sentiment either on Thursday. The company beat on both earnings per share and revenue in its most recent quarter reported in June, posting EPS of -$0.03, beating analyst estimates by 50%, and revenue of $94.15 million, beating by 4.54%.
Photo Courtesy: thanmano on Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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