Trump Declares the Moon Belongs to the U.S. Here Are 5 Space Stocks to Watch
A presidential caption declaring the Moon American property changes no treaty, but it may be reshuffling billions in defense contracts toward a handful of space companies already sitting on record backlogs.
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.
Five Space Stocks to Watch
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT | LMT Price Prediction) 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.
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After two decades of patrolling the dark corners of suburbia as a police officer, Rich Duprey hung up his badge and gun to begin writing full time about stocks and investing. For the past 20 years, he’s been cruising the markets looking for companies to lock up as long-term holdings in a portfolio while writing extensively on the broad sectors of consumer goods, technology, and industrials. Because his experience isn’t from the typical financial analyst track, Rich is able to break down complex topics into understandable and useful action points for the average investor. His writings have appeared on The Motley Fool, InvestorPlace, Yahoo! Finance, Money Morning, and, of course, 24/7 Wall St. He has been featured in both U.S. and international publications, including MarketWatch, Financial Times, Forbes, Fast Company, and USA Today.
