Public Space Stocks With Verified Defense & NASA Contracts in 2026
April 2, 20268 min read
Public Space Stocks With Verified Defense & NASA Contracts in 2026
Defense and pure-play space stocks to watch.
Tendrill
Public Aerospace & Defense Companies With Verified Space Exposure in 2026
The space economy is no longer a speculative frontier — it's a multi-trillion-dollar contracting ecosystem anchored by the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and a growing web of commercial customers. From missile-tracking satellite constellations to lunar landers and direct-to-device broadband, the companies below hold verified contracts and active programs across the full spectrum of space technology. This list spans large-cap defense primes with dedicated space divisions all the way down to pure-play space infrastructure companies that went public in recent years.
The Large-Cap Defense Primes
These are the established defense contractors with decades of space program history, significant government backlog, and diversified revenue streams that provide stability alongside space exposure.
Lockheed Martin ($LMT)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Division: Space Systems
Key Programs: NASA Artemis lunar program, national security satellites, propulsion systems, spacecraft components
Why It Matters: Lockheed is one of the deepest-rooted space contractors in the U.S. defense industrial base. Its Space Systems division builds satellites, deep-space probes, and hypersonic systems. Long-term government contracts and a consistent dividend make it a lower-volatility entry point for space exposure.
Northrop Grumman ($NOC)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Division: Space Systems sector
Key Programs: Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), missile tracking satellites, James Webb Space Telescope structure
Why It Matters: Northrop was awarded a $764 million Space Force contract in December 2025 to build 18 satellites for the Space Development Agency's missile-warning network — part of a cumulative commitment to deliver 150 satellites for the PWSA. Space is a core revenue driver, not an ancillary business.
Boeing ($BA)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Programs: SLS rocket (NASA), military satellites, historically Starliner crewed spacecraft
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Why It Matters: Boeing remains a major NASA prime contractor and satellite manufacturer. However, the Starliner crewed spacecraft program has faced significant setbacks, and NASA has shifted crewed transport reliance to SpaceX's Dragon. Boeing's space business is large but carries execution risk.
RTX ($RTX)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Exposure: Raytheon Intelligence & Space division, satellite payloads, missile defense systems
Why It Matters: RTX brings space-adjacent technology through its sensor, radar, and missile defense programs. With a market cap above $258 billion, it's the largest pure defense name on this list and offers broad exposure to space-enabling systems.
L3Harris Technologies ($LHX)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Division: Space & Airborne Systems
Key Programs: Satellite communication systems, space sensors, government intelligence programs
Why It Matters: L3Harris derives a meaningful portion of its revenue from space-targeted technologies for government agencies. Its integrated space systems segment covers everything from satellite payloads to ground systems.
General Dynamics ($GD)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Exposure: Mission Systems division — communications and command systems for space exploration
Why It Matters: GD is more of a supporting player in space versus a prime contractor, but its Mission Systems work touches NASA programs and DoD space architecture. It remains a core blue-chip defense holding with steady dividends.
Mid-Cap Defense Names With Verified Space Contracts
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions ($KTOS)
Exchange: NASDAQ
Space Programs: Satellite communications, ground systems, space vehicle propulsion
Why It Matters: Kratos is a leaner, faster-moving defense tech company specializing in satellite communications infrastructure and unmanned systems. Its space segment includes ground system software and satellite command-and-control technology, making it a differentiated mid-cap play.
Parsons Corporation ($PSN)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Programs: Missile defense, space systems, geospatial intelligence
Why It Matters: Parsons operates at the intersection of cybersecurity, missile defense, and space intelligence. Its federal solutions segment supports DoD and intelligence community space architecture programs, giving it steady government contract exposure.
Leidos ($LDOS)
Exchange: NYSE
Space Exposure: Defense and intelligence solutions including satellite ground systems and space domain awareness
Why It Matters: Leidos is a major IT and engineering contractor to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. While not a pure-play space stock, its work in space domain awareness and ground-based command systems gives it meaningful indirect exposure.
Pure-Play Space Stocks
These companies derive the majority — or all — of their revenue from space-related activities. They carry higher risk but offer more direct leverage to the space economy's growth.
Rocket Lab ($RKLB)
Exchange: NASDAQ
Programs: Electron launch vehicle, Neutron rocket (in development), satellite components, spacecraft manufacturing
Verified Contract: In December 2025, the Space Force awarded Rocket Lab an $805 million contract — its largest ever — to build 18 missile-tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency. This contract cemented Rocket Lab's evolution from a small-satellite launch provider into a vertically integrated space prime contractor.
Investment Profile: Growth-stage with an increasingly operational track record. Expanding across commercial and government markets with hardware, launch, and spacecraft solutions.
Redwire Corporation ($RDW)
Exchange: NYSE
Programs: Solar arrays, deployable structures, in-space manufacturing, space infrastructure hardware
Why It Matters: Redwire designs and manufactures physical space infrastructure — the hardware that goes on and inside spacecraft. It serves civil, defense, and commercial missions and has active contracts with NASA and DoD. A niche but critical player in the in-space manufacturing and assembly segment.
Intuitive Machines ($LUNR)
Exchange: NASDAQ
Programs: Nova-C lunar lander, NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), lunar data relay
Why It Matters: Intuitive Machines is one of the most direct pure-plays on NASA's return to the Moon under the Artemis program. It holds CLPS contracts and has already successfully operated lunar missions, making it one of the few space companies with actual lunar surface experience.
Voyager Technologies ($VOYG)
Exchange: NYSE
Programs: Starlab commercial space station, space infrastructure services for defense, science, and exploration
Why It Matters: Voyager is building Starlab as a successor to the International Space Station, positioning itself as a critical piece of commercial space infrastructure. Its focus on consolidating space assets for defense and science gives it a long-duration contract opportunity set.
Firefly Aerospace ($FLY)
Exchange: NYSE (recently public)
Programs: Alpha rocket (small-payload launch), Blue Ghost lunar lander, orbital services
Why It Matters: Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander completed the first fully successful U.S. lunar soft landing since Apollo in March 2025 — a milestone that validated its technology and NASA contract relationship. Its Alpha rocket provides responsive small-payload launch capability.
AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS)
Exchange: NASDAQ
Programs: BlueBird LEO satellite constellation, direct-to-device 4G/5G broadband
Why It Matters: AST is building a satellite network designed to connect directly to standard, unmodified smartphones — eliminating cellular dead zones globally. It has secured telecom partnerships and is in early commercial deployment. High risk, but potentially disruptive at scale.
Karman Holdings ($KRMN)
Exchange: NYSE
Programs: Structural and propulsion components for launch vehicles, spacecraft, satellites, and missile defense systems
Why It Matters: Karman's hardware is integrated into more than 130 space and defense programs, spanning rockets, payloads, and satellites. It's a picks-and-shovels play on space — the company doesn't launch rockets but makes critical components for those that do.
Quick-Reference Summary Table
| Ticker | Company | Exchange | Space Category | Risk Profile |
|--------|--------------------------|----------|------------------------|--------------|
| $LMT | Lockheed Martin | NYSE | Prime / Satellites / NASA | Low-Medium |
| $NOC | Northrop Grumman | NYSE | Prime / PWSA Satellites | Low-Medium |
| $BA | Boeing | NYSE | Prime / SLS / Satellites | Medium |
| $RTX | RTX | NYSE | Sensors / Missile Defense | Low-Medium |
| $LHX | L3Harris Technologies | NYSE | Satellite Systems | Low-Medium |
| $GD | General Dynamics | NYSE | Space Communications | Low |
| $KTOS | Kratos Defense | NASDAQ | Sat Comms / Ground Systems | Medium |
| $PSN | Parsons Corp | NYSE | Space Intel / Missile Defense | Medium |
| $LDOS | Leidos | NYSE | Ground Systems / Space Domain | Medium |
| $RKLB | Rocket Lab | NASDAQ | Launch / Spacecraft Prime | Medium-High |
| $RDW | Redwire Corp | NYSE | In-Space Infrastructure | High |
| $LUNR | Intuitive Machines | NASDAQ | Lunar / NASA CLPS | High |
| $VOYG | Voyager Technologies | NYSE | Commercial Space Station | High |
| $FLY | Firefly Aerospace | NYSE | Launch / Lunar Lander | High |
| $ASTS | AST SpaceMobile | NASDAQ | LEO Broadband / Direct-to-Device | High |
| $KRMN | Karman Holdings | NYSE | Components / 130+ Programs | Medium-High |
Key Themes to Watch in 2026
Space Development Agency (SDA) contracts are flowing rapidly as the DoD builds out the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture — a multi-billion-dollar LEO missile-warning and communications network. Companies like Northrop and Rocket Lab are already under contract.
NASA's Artemis program continues to generate lunar surface and deep-space contracts, benefiting Lockheed, Intuitive Machines, and Firefly.
Commercial space stations are emerging as the next major long-cycle contract opportunity as ISS retirement approaches, with Voyager's Starlab at the center of that transition.
As with all defense and space investments, contract concentration, program execution risk, and government budget cycles are key variables. The pure-play names offer higher leverage to space growth but come with correspondingly higher volatility and binary program risk.