Space Stocks Weekly #7
Rocket Lab awarded multi-billion dollar defense contracts, Redwire to provide docking mechanisms for lunar Gateway, Satellogic raises $20M, Lockheed appoints new CFO, and more!
Good evening, space investors!
Before diving into last week’s updates, I want to thank you for following my weekly newsletter and welcome the four new subscribers—AD LUNAM now has 131 subscribers!
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The format
New to Space Stocks Weekly? Here’s how it works! I start by sharing the latest news on publicly traded space companies, followed by updates on the broader space industry, including private companies.
This way, you get the full picture of what’s happening in the space industry.
Space Stocks Show More Resilience Than the S&P 500
Space Stocks VS S&P 500 — April 2025 Performance
A quiet week for space stocks, with no significant catalysts. Markets were closed for Good Friday.
So far this April, the S&P 500—the index that tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies—is down 6.22%, mainly due to the tariff war. Interestingly, most space stocks have been performing much better, although they’re more volatile.
As of April 17, the top performer month-to-date is RDW 0.00%↑, up 18.38% and RKLB 0.00%↑, up 8.76%. SPIR 0.00%↑ and ASTS 0.00%↑ are also performing better than last month, up 7.56% and 7.05% respectively.
GSAT 0.00%↑, PL 0.00%↑ and MNTS 0.00%↑ have performed quite similarly to the S&P 500, being down 5.50%, 5.83% and 6.25% respectively.
Space Stocks VS S&P 500 Since January 1, 2025
As the year-to-date chart shows, most of the downward movement happened between February 20 and April 7. Are we just in a dead-cat bouncing phase, or are there more red days ahead? As always, only time will tell.
Let’s see what this week brings!
Space Stocks Updated Earnings Calendar
Here’s the updated calendar with the latest official Q1 2025 earnings report dates:
LMT 0.00%↑ April 22 (Before Market Open)
IRDM 0.00%↑ April 22 (Before Market Open)
BA 0.00%↑ April 23 (Before Market Open)
$MDA May 8 (Before Market Open)
BKSY 0.00%↑ May 8 (Before Market Open)
RKLB 0.00%↑ May 8 (After Market Close)
Rocket Lab Awarded Multi-Billion Dollar (IDIQ) Contracts for the U.S. and U.K. Defense
On April 14, RKLB 0.00%↑ announced to have been selected to participate in two multi-billion dollar contracts for the U.S. and U.K. defense, to provide hypersonic launch capabilities through HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Vehicle).
In the U.S., the company has been selected by the U.S. Air Force and is now eligible to bid under the $46 billion Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC), an indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract.
In the U.K., Rocket Lab has been selected by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense and is now eligible to bid under the $1.3 billion HTCDF (Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework).
Redwire to Provide Docking Mechanisms for Gateway Lunar Module
On April 15, RDW 0.00%↑ announced a new contract with Thales Alenia Space to supply docking mechanisms for ESA’s Lunar I-Hab module, part of NASA’s lunar Gateway space station.
The Lunar I-Hab module is scheduled to launch in 2028 during NASA’s Artemis IV mission aboard the SLS rocket. However, that timeline could change if the SLS program gets cancelled.
With this contract, Redwire will be delivering one active and three passive International Berthing and Docking Mechanisms (IBDMs). These support safe and reliable docking and berthing capabilities for spacecraft and modules.
Docking is when two vehicles connect on their own, for instance when a crewed spacecraft arrives at the space station. Berthing is a little different—it uses a robotic arm to move a passive module into position before attaching it.
Satellogic Raised $20 million to Fund Operations
On April 16, SATL 0.00%↑ closed a $20 million offering by selling 6,451,612 shares of Class A common stock at $3.10 each.
The company says the capital raised will be used for general corporate purposes. This capital raise comes a few days after they were awarded a $30 million contract to develop a low-latency, AI-powered Earth observation constellation.
Lockheed Martin Appoints New Chief Financial Officer
On April 17, LMT 0.00%↑ named Evan Scott as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), replacing Jay Malave.
"Over his 26 years at Lockheed Martin, Evan has earned the utmost respect as an experienced finance and operations leader, with deep understanding of our business and mission. I am confident he is the right choice to drive our continued growth and lead our finance organization with excellence."
— CEO James Taiclet.
LMT 0.00%↑ will release its Q1 2025 earnings on April 22.
Photo of the Week
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured this image on April 15 using its SHERLOC WATSON camera.
The SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) technology aboard the rover uses cameras, spectrometers, and a laser to detect minerals and organic compounds that may have formed back when Mars still had water.
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