Trump Sends Space Stocks To The Moon (Literally)

by | Dec 22, 2025 | General

Last Thursday, President Donald Trump signed the “Ensuring American Space Superiority” executive order aimed at cementing U.S. dominance in the final frontier. 

The order shifts the U.S. space economy from a government-led model to a commercially-driven powerhouse, setting aggressive deadlines that have sent space sector stocks “to the moon.”

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Trump’s Moon Shot Mandate

The executive order establishes three non-negotiable pillars:

  1. Return to the Moon by 2028: Accelerating the Artemis timeline.
  2. Permanent Lunar Outpost by 2030: Moving beyond “flags and footprints” to a sustained presence, including space-based nuclear reactors.
  3. The $50 Billion Target: A goal to attract $50 billion in new private investment by 2028 through streamlined procurement and “as-a-service” contract models.

Space Stocks to the Moon

The directive explicitly prioritizes commercial solutions over traditional “cost-plus” government contracts, directly benefiting several publicly-traded, private space companies. 

  • Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) and Redwire Corp. (NYSE:RDW): As the primary contractors for lunar delivery and infrastructure, these firms are critical to the 2030 permanent moon outpost goal. Intuitive Machines’ landing capabilities and Redwire’s power/manufacturing systems are now considered “critical national infrastructure.”
  • Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) The order calls for a massive increase in launch cadence and the integration of commercial tech into the Golden Dome missile defense shield. Rocket Lab is the leading small-launch provider with a growing footprint in national security satellite manufacturing.
  • AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS): Trump’s executive order mandates “ubiquitous satellite-enabled communications” and asserts U.S. leadership in spectrum management — a direct tailwind for AST’s mission to provide global cellular broadband.
  • Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) and Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU): The order’s shift toward “as-a-service” models for Earth observation and weather forecasting favors Planet Labs’ massive data library and Sidus’ flexible satellite-as-a-service manufacturing.

Trump’s executive order retires the ISS in 2030 and mandates commercial replacements, basically guaranteeing a multi-decade revenue runway for space companies.

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Photo: Shutterstock