One evening last year I was running a quick errand in San Diego and happened to glance up at the sky.
What I saw stopped me cold.
A massive exhaust plume was spreading across the horizon, lit up in brilliant orange and pink against the setting sun. It was the kind of visual that makes you pull the car over and just stare.
It was a SpaceX (SPCX) launch. And in that moment, watching something that enormous climb silently into the stratosphere and disappear, I felt something shift in how I was thinking about the space sector.
I've been watching this industry since the dark days of Challenger. What I saw against that San Diego sky made it clear just how far we've come, and how much further we're about to go.
If you want to see what I mean, watch this recent launch. It's worth 5 minutes of your time:
🚀 Watch: SpaceX Starship Flight 12 -- the most powerful rocket ever built
The Moment That Changes Everything
Last week, SpaceX went public under the ticker SPCX. And the market's reaction was exactly what you'd expect when one of the most anticipated IPOs in history finally hits the exchange.
Enthusiasm. Capital flows. And investors everywhere combing the space sector for the best opportunities.
We're seeing real movement in the stocks connected to this industry. And the timing couldn't be better, given what I showed you in yesterday's alert: A market that is broadening, with more capital flowing into more stocks across more sectors. If you missed that piece, catch up here before reading on. It sets the stage for everything below.
Here are the five space stocks that I believe need to be on your radar right now.
1. Intuitive Machines (LUNR)
Before we go back to the moon, someone has to design and build everything that will support a lunar mission.
That's Intuitive Machines.
LUNR is focused on lunar logistics: The equipment, landers, and infrastructure required to actually operate on the lunar surface.
The company is also active in space communications and infrastructure. This has become a high-visibility area for space investors as governments and private companies race to establish permanent operations beyond Earth's orbit.
What makes LUNR particularly interesting to me right now is the options market. Implied volatility on LUNR is elevated, which means put contracts are paying rich premiums.
That makes this a strong candidate for the Accelerated Income Model, where I sell put contracts to collect income while waiting for the right entry point on a stock I want to own.
You can collect meaningful income on LUNR right now just by waiting for the stock to hold above key support levels.
2. Redwire Corp. (RDW)
Redwire builds the infrastructure that makes space operations possible. These projects include solar arrays, avionics, and the specialized sensors that satellites and spacecraft depend on.
The stock surged sharply in May as investors began pricing in enthusiasm ahead of the SpaceX IPO. Then it pulled back to its breakout area. (If you've been following along here for a while, you know is exactly the kind of setup I love.)
A pullback to a prior breakout level often represents the best entry point in a strong uptrend. The momentum players take profits, the stock resets, and patient investors get a second chance at a favorable price. That's where RDW is sitting right now.
Like LUNR, RDW offers strong option premiums, making it another excellent candidate for the Accelerated Income Model.
Sell puts at or near that breakout level, collect the income, and potentially own the stock at a great price if it pulls back further.
3. Iridium Communications (IRDM)
If LUNR and RDW are the "what could be" stories, Iridium is the "what already is" story.
Iridium operates a fully mature, fully operational low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation that provides global voice and data communications to customers in the most remote locations on the planet.
Ships at sea. Expeditions in Antarctica. Military operations in areas with no ground-based infrastructure.
The company is already profitable. The constellation is already built. And as investor capital rotates into the space sector following the SpaceX IPO, Iridium is one of the first names to benefit... because it's already a real business with real revenue and real earnings.
IRDM has been trading sharply higher in recent weeks. Momentum is clearly building.
This is the "responsible" pick in a sector that otherwise skews speculative. Which is exactly why I want it on your radar.
4. ATI Inc. (ATI)
Here's a name you might not immediately associate with the space sector. And that's exactly why I find it interesting.
ATI used to be a fairly boring specialty steel company. It's in the middle of a transformation into something far more compelling: A leading producer of the specialty materials required to actually build rockets and satellites.
Launching anything into space requires materials that can withstand extreme temperatures, intense vibration, and the unique stresses of operating in a vacuum.
ATI is one of a small number of companies that produces these advanced materials at scale.
The stock is working through its transition, and that makes it a strong candidate for the Speculative Trading Program, where I use in-the-money options to take aggressive positions in stocks with significant upside potential.
When a company's business is transforming faster than the market recognizes, that's exactly the kind of asymmetric opportunity I'm looking for.
5. Carpenter Technology Corp. (CRS)
I want to close with the strongest momentum name in the group. And right now, that's Carpenter Technology.
CRS produces high-performance specialty alloys used in the structural components of advanced spacecraft and rocket engines. These aren't commodity materials. They're precision-engineered products that perform in conditions no ordinary metal could survive.
The market clearly understands this. CRS is making all-time highs, with investors actively allocating capital into the space supply chain as the sector heats up. There's no ambiguity about the trend here.
When a stock is making all-time highs while the business is genuinely growing, you don't fight it. You find the right way to participate.
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