Space Economy

SpaceX has agreed to acquire Grain Management's nationwide portfolio of low-band wireless spectrum licenses, advancing the Elon Musk-led company's effort to compete with Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile Us Inc. The agreement covers spectrum in the 800 MHz band and remains subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission; SpaceX says the licenses will complement Starlink Mobile's existing satellite capabilities with terrestrial connectivity. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 15,000 next-generation Starlink satellites optimized for mobile connectivity, and together the spectrum acquisition and satellite expansion move the company closer to offering a more comprehensive mobile service. Musk made his ambitious prediction in an Oct. 8 post on X, saying he sees a path to SpaceX being worth orders of magnitude more than the current Earth economy. Investors should watch for regulatory approval, launch timelines, pricing announcements and evidence of customer adoption, as the next test is whether SpaceX can persuade consumers to switch networks or pay less to stay connected.

Alphabet Inc. has launched a prototype Tensor Processing Unit satellite aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission on October 1, 2026, in partnership with Planet, marking its first concrete step toward putting data centers in orbit. The test, part of Google's Project Suncatcher, will examine how its TPUs handle launch stress, radiation, and extreme temperatures in low Earth orbit, with ground testing already showing Trillium TPUs can withstand radiation levels higher than those expected across a five-year mission. Heat management remains a key challenge because conventional air cooling does not work in a vacuum, prompting Google to evaluate heat pipes and radiators, and a two-satellite test is planned for 2027. Google emphasized the current mission is intended to collect engineering data rather than demonstrate a commercial system. SpaceX could benefit from additional orbital AI experiments if hyperscalers continue choosing its launch services, even as its valuation of over $2 trillion at about 45 times forward sales rests on management's own targets, including Elon Musk's expectation of a $100 billion annual revenue run rate by December and a $1 trillion revenue target moved up to 2030.

U.S. space and artificial intelligence company SpaceX announced it will acquire licenses for the spectrum bands used for mobile phones. The company, which operates the satellite communications network service Starlink, stressed that it "will become the first network operator to deploy both satellite and ground-based networks." The acquisition it disclosed covers radio waves in the 800-megahertz band, which travel long distances and are hard to block with buildings or walls, part of a spectrum range known in Japan as the "platinum band." U.S. financial giant Morgan Stanley called the announcement a major step toward building a mobile communications network, and said that while the acquisition price was not disclosed, it "would not be surprised if it approached 8 billion dollars, or roughly 1.3 trillion yen." In the U.S. stock market on the 9th, shares of the three major U.S. telecom carriers plunged, while shares of tower companies that handle base station construction and other work were bought. Still, Morgan Stanley analyzed that the spectrum band is insufficient for expanding service to densely populated areas and that infrastructure development will also be necessary, and it believes "there is still a long road ahead to compete head-on with major telecom carriers."

Airbus has completed the first batch of 32 new OneWeb Low Earth Orbit satellites for Eutelsat, part of a broader program covering 669 planned satellites for the operator. The batch forms part of Eutelsat's LEO fleet renewal program aimed at supporting global satellite connectivity services, with Airbus acting as manufacturing partner for the next wave of OneWeb satellites and further launches already planned. Airbus, a €148.6b aerospace and defense group, uses its satellite manufacturing arm alongside its commercial aircraft and space systems operations to supply hardware that telecom operators such as Eutelsat rely on for global connectivity. The work lines up with Airbus Defence and Space's push to build a clearer second profit pillar alongside helicopters and commercial jets, with the company's industrial footprint in Toulouse supplying complex hardware for global connectivity. Investors will be watching upcoming Defence & Space disclosures around LEO constellation production throughput and margin trends in the 2026 and 2027 reporting periods.

SpaceX is closing in on a crucial swath of spectrum needed to turn the rocket, satellite and AI company into a "major mobile carrier," setting the stage for a clash with stalwarts like T-Mobile US Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. Once the company receives approval from the Federal Communications Commission, it will combine its satellite-to-cell services with a terrestrial network that can connect devices everywhere. The development comes as SpaceX investors are finally getting some reprieve after months of being whipsawed by volatility, with the Elon Musk-led company's stock breaking above the level it's been stuck below since July.

NASA on Friday issued a final request for proposals to develop commercial space stations that could replace the International Space Station, advancing plans to shift low Earth orbit operations to private companies while maintaining a continuous U.S. presence in space. Proposals are due Dec. 8, with contract awards expected in spring 2027, and NASA plans to select at least two contractors for initial development before holding a subsequent competition for final design, testing, certification and operational services. The agency intends to award multiple firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts covering development, certification and operation of the stations, seeking companies able to provide integrated destinations and transportation services for astronauts conducting research and technology development in low Earth orbit. Publicly traded aerospace companies with potential exposure include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Redwire, while private firms Axiom Space, Vast and Starlab Space are also pursuing commercial orbital destinations. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that commercial operators will need business models extending beyond government contracts, saying the opportunity is significant but the economics ultimately have to work.

Jeff Bezos said Blue Origin could eventually go public after the space company raised $10 billion in a funding round that reportedly valued it at $140 billion. Speaking Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "Special Report with Bret Baier," the Amazon founder said an initial public offering could happen "several years from now" and that "it probably makes sense for Blue Origin to be a public company at some point." Bezos said he has invested approximately $28 billion in Blue Origin since launching it in 2000, and that the latest round marks the company's first major capital raise from outside investors. Blue Origin holds multibillion-dollar contracts from NASA and the U.S. Space Force, including work tied to NASA's Artemis lunar program, and competes with Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies in the commercial launch market. Bezos also said Blue Origin expects to fly its New Glenn rocket again in December, after a May explosion during a static-fire test delayed launch plans.

Barclays initiated coverage of SpaceX with an Overweight rating and a $254 price target, part of a broad rollout of coverage across the aerospace and defense group in which the firm said the U.S. is in the "early innings of a modern day industrial revolution." In the same sweep, Barclays started RTX, Palantir, Kratos Defense, Karman, DPC Holdings, CAE, Beta Technologies and Rocket Lab at Overweight, Planet Labs, FireFly Aerospace, AeroVironment, York Space Systems and Lockheed Martin at Equal Weight, and Northrop Grumman at Underweight. Among other calls, Baird upgraded Humana to Outperform from Neutral with a price target of $596, up from $390, citing greater confidence in the company's $35-plus of 2028 adjusted earnings per share power, while Morgan Stanley double upgraded Cboe Global Markets to Overweight from Underweight with a price target of $358, up from $258. On the downgrade side, JPMorgan cut DuPont to Neutral from Overweight with a price target of $145, down from $172, and removed the stock from its Analyst Focus List, and also downgraded Illinois Tool Works to Neutral from Overweight with a price target of $270, down from $350, both on concerns around decelerating short cycle industrial demand into 2027. Citi downgraded Pershing Square Inc. to Sell from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $45 on valuation, and RBC Capital downgraded Knife River to Sector Perform from Outperform with a price target of $58, down from $103. Other initiations included Truist starting IBM at Hold with a $240 price target, Citi starting Fortune Brands at Buy with a $48 price target, Freedom Broker starting Ultra Clean at Buy with a $127 price target, and JPMorgan resuming Trane at Overweight with a $550 price target.

AT&T secured court approval for a US$177 million settlement over a major customer data breach affecting millions of users, with a federal judge signing off on the agreement in early October 2026 and resolving multiple consolidated class action lawsuits. Separately, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile agreed to pool spectrum and share satellite access in a new US connectivity joint venture targeting coverage gaps. The US$177 million breach settlement and the multi-carrier satellite venture are reshaping AT&T's risk profile and network ambitions. The payment is sizeable yet small next to the US$167.7b telecom group, which is already spending heavily on fiber and 5G, and the bigger issue for investors is execution on the US$6b targeted copper cost reductions and the large network build. The satellite venture is aimed at filling dead zones that fiber and towers do not reach, while the GIP and CPP Investments fiber venture pushes deeper high speed access in 16 states. The clearest test ahead is whether AT&T closes the fiber JV in the first half of 2027 as planned and starts reporting its share of JV earnings without consolidating the results, alongside progress toward the more than 60 million fiber locations target by 2030.

Japan's Defense Ministry announced on the 9th that it will conduct research and study aimed at speeding up the launch of rockets that would carry new satellites into space, in preparation for attacks on the satellites used by the Self-Defense Forces. It began soliciting proposals from private companies on the 9th for technologies related to rocket manufacturing and launch methods, and after selecting operators in February next year, it will examine transport capacity, cost, and production systems. In recent years, the United States, China, and Russia have been advancing the military use of space, and the importance of the space domain in the security field is growing; the Defense Ministry is also moving quickly on responses, including formulating a space domain defense guideline last year, but shortening the time needed to restore functions when a satellite is lost has become a challenge. As specific research themes, it envisions stockpiling components and manufacturing parts using 3D printers, and for launch methods it will also consider sea-based, airborne, and vehicle-mounted or mobile options.

SpaceX's $8B deal to buy a nationwide low-band spectrum portfolio from Grain Management for Starlink sparked a sudden selloff in major telecom stocks. T-Mobile US fell roughly 6% after hours following the Starlink Mobile announcement, yet it remains a top-rated Buy with a quant score of 4.42 out of 5, alongside ATN International at 4.70 and VEON Ltd. at 4.69. Domestic giants Verizon and AT&T both hold neutral Hold ratings, with quant scores of 3.48 and 3.45 respectively. Other Buy-rated names include Telecom Argentina at 4.48, Millicom International Cellular at 3.90, Orange at 3.73, Liberty Latin America at 3.72, América Móvil at 3.61, and KT Corporation at 3.54, while Anterix sits at Hold with a score of 3.48.

President Donald Trump purchased between $1M and $5M in SpaceX bonds on August 18, two days before signing a policy aimed at expanding commercial space transportation in the U.S., according to a financial disclosure released Thursday. The bonds are senior unsecured notes carrying a 5.35% interest rate and maturing in July 2031. The August 20 National Space Transportation Policy aims to support more than 1,000 U.S. launches and reentries annually by 2030 by accelerating permitting and expanding commercial access to federal launch facilities. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is a major NASA launch provider and U.S. government contractor, and the timing of the purchase does not establish whether Trump knew about the policy in advance. Trump's August disclosure covered 517 securities transactions, including a purchase of between $5M and $25M in Meta Platforms shares on August 21, and the trades came weeks before Trump hosted Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and other AI leaders at a White House summit on September 29. Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told CNN there is a conflict of interest, while White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said Trump's stock and bond portfolio is independently managed by third-party financial institutions in discretionary accounts invested through computer-based model portfolios that automatically replicate recognized indexes such as the Schwab 1000.

Yuanta Securities (Thailand) Company Limited stated that SpaceX has announced the acquisition of 800 MHz spectrum from Grain Management to expand its Starlink Mobile service into the terrestrial market, with the transaction still pending approval from the US Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. This move carries significance for the telecommunications industry, because Satellite Mobile services still have limitations in providing indoor coverage compared with the networks of mobile phone operators. Access to terrestrial spectrum could therefore help enhance Starlink Mobile's competitiveness in the long term. The market reacted negatively to the news, with shares of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon falling roughly 6–7% in after-hours trading, reflecting concerns that the entry of a new player could increase competitive pressure and affect the valuation levels of the telecommunications business. As for the impact on Thailand, Yuanta Securities assesses that in the short term it remains limited and does not yet affect the fundamentals of Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited, or ADVANC, and True Corporation Public Company Limited, or TRUE, because Starlink must still go through the relevant licensing procedures before it can provide services in Thailand, particularly obtaining Landing Rights for low Earth orbit, or LEO, satellite services. And if Starlink wants to expand its services into the Mobile business to compete directly with domestic operators through the use of terrestrial spectrum, it would still need to consider Thailand's licensing and spectrum allocation framework, or may have to join spectrum auctions opened by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, which are not held frequently and represent a major obstacle to entering direct competition in the Thai market. However, Yuanta Securities views that the risk worth monitoring in the medium term lies in share valuation levels, or multiples, rather than the direct impact on operating results. Although at present the impact on the profits of Thai telecommunications operators is not yet clear, if overseas markets lower the valuation of telecommunications stocks out of concern over competition from Starlink Mobile, there is a chance that the multiples of ADVANC and TRUE will also be pressured in line with the group's sentiment. Therefore, Yuanta Securities assesses that the short-term risk to the earnings forecasts of ADVANC and TRUE remains limited, while in the medium term the valuation risk should be monitored, along with regulatory developments that could pave the way for Starlink to expand its services into the Thai market going forward.

West Texas crude futures for November delivery closed at 91.49 dollars per barrel, up 3.21 dollars, or 3.6%, while North Sea Brent crude futures for December delivery closed at 104.28 dollars per barrel, up 4.08 dollars, or 4.1%. Oil prices ended the session up about 4% after concerns about war in the Middle East flared up again and the risk of supply disruption rose sharply from Hurricane Isaias, which is moving toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. At one point during trading, both crude contracts rose by more than 5 dollars per barrel before pulling back after President Donald Trump said talks with Iran had made progress and confirmed he would not attack Iran until after the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is considering the U.S. response to Iran's proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz within 7 days, and that Iran may reply within a few days. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's SpaceX said it has acquired low-band spectrum, which will allow its Starlink satellites to offer mobile phone service and make it a major mobile network operator in the United States, sending shares of incumbent mobile carriers down by as much as 8%. AT&T fell 7.3%, while T-Mobile US and Verizon Communications dropped 6.6% as of 5:00 p.m. New York time, while SpaceX shares rose 1.5% in after-hours trading. Singapore bank shares came under heavier selling after JPMorgan Chase & Co. warned that surging long-term bond yields will hit regional banks' third-quarter profits, with DBS Group and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. falling more than 4%, while United Overseas Bank dropped 5.2%.

AST SpaceMobile and TELUS have completed their first integration test connecting TELUS' terrestrial wireless network with AST SpaceMobile's satellite based system for direct smartphone to satellite service in Canada. The milestone comes amid a volatile stretch for AST SpaceMobile shares, which fell 6.13% over the past day, 13.90% over the past month and 31.80% year to date, closing at $56.93. The most followed narrative pegs fair value at $170 per share, framing the selloff as a valuation question, with forecast revenue rising 51.9% per year and expectations that ASTS becomes profitable within three years. Set against a current market value of about $23.60b and a reported net loss of $618.761m on $115.299m of revenue, the bull case leans on future execution, while analysts hold an average price target of $77.94, 36.9% above the last close. The story can break if satellite deployment slips or if carrier partners delay turning trials into meaningful and recurring service revenue.

American Airlines Group plans to equip its entire mainline fleet with SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, expanding its high-speed connectivity initiative as major U.S. carriers race to offer premium inflight Wi-Fi. The expanded agreement will bring Starlink to more than 1,000 mainline aircraft, including Airbus narrowbodies as well as Boeing narrowbody and widebody jets, with installations scheduled to begin in early 2027. The move more than doubles the carrier's initial commitment from May, which previously targeted just over 500 Airbus jets. American's fleet will deploy Starlink's Performance Aero Terminal, which is engineered to deliver connection speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second per terminal. Management indicated that dependable, high-speed Wi-Fi remains a critical priority for passenger retention, while providing a foundation for future digital services. The partnership gives American scale in satellite connectivity as the carrier prepares to take delivery of more than 300 new aircraft in the coming years.

Gilat Satellite Networks said Thursday that its Gilat DataPath unit has received orders totaling more than $8M from the U.S. Department of War for field services and SATCOM system upgrades supporting deployed military communications systems. Deliveries under the orders are expected over the next 12 months. The company disclosed the award in a press release. The orders add to Gilat's recent U.S. defense work, which includes a prior win of over $32M for transportable U.S. defense communications systems.

Nokia Oyj has agreed a new partnership with Finnish satellite company ICEYE to build secure LEO broadband systems for governments. The collaboration targets sovereign and defense satellite communications services, focusing on secure, high-performance connectivity for public sector clients. Separately, Nokia is discontinuing its joint MoCA-based broadband offering with InCoax, citing limited market interest in that technology partnership. The ICEYE government LEO alliance and the MoCA exit capture only one part of how the group is reshaping its portfolio. Nokia Oyj is a €53.8b communications group that supplies mobile, fixed, and cloud network solutions across regions from North and Latin America to Asia and the Middle East. The clearest marker ahead will be whether Nokia and ICEYE convert the 2028 LEO launch plan into signed multi-year government contracts over the next 12 to 24 months.

NASA has cited Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket as a potential launch provider, alongside SpaceX's Falcon 9, for a bulk launch procurement tied to its planned US$30 billion moon base program. The agency is exploring multi-year launch contracts that could cover recurring cargo and infrastructure flights for the lunar initiative. If Neutron is selected, Rocket Lab would gain access to long-term, repeat business tied to the moon base plan, anchoring the rocket in a regular launch rhythm rather than one-off missions and helping spread development costs across a larger stream of contracted work. The key marker for investors is whether Neutron secures a place in NASA's multi-year contract awards once the bulk launch procurement is finalized, with a confirmed award and disclosed mission count or cadence showing how much of the program Rocket Lab actually captured versus other medium-lift providers.

Starlink's global consumer subscriber base reached an estimated 13.5 million exiting September, according to fresh Deutsche Bank data, with about 370,000 net subscriber additions during the month. North America led the mix with 5.5 million subscribers, or 41% of the total, adding 126,000 subs in the month, while Starlink's reach expanded to 205 countries from 200 in August, adding four countries in Africa and one in Asia. SpaceX's market cap now stands at 2.26 trillion, just shy of Taiwan Semiconductor at 2.5 trillion and Amazon at 2.76 trillion. SpaceX shares are up 64% from their August 3rd lows and have gained 16% in the past month alone, with about 80% of sell-side analysts rating the stock a buy or strong buy per Yahoo Finance Alpha space data. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Evercore ISI have all issued bullish notes within the past two weeks, with Starlink at the heart of that analysis.

Verizon Communications, AT&T and T-Mobile have formed a new joint venture aimed at widening U.S. wireless coverage in underserved regions. The partnership targets the near elimination of domestic coverage gaps, focusing on rural communities and remote travel corridors, and also plans to strengthen emergency connectivity and support satellite and direct-to-device links for critical services. Verizon Communications, a telecom group valued at about $190.5b, already sells connectivity, technology and information services to consumers, enterprises and governments, so the venture fits directly into its core role supplying critical communications infrastructure worldwide. The move extends Verizon's existing 5G and satellite work into rural areas and transport routes, which can support fixed wireless access, private networks and backup links for business customers. Investors will be watching how the joint venture shows up in Verizon's disclosed 5G and satellite rollout milestones across rural and remote regions, including any quantified coverage targets or customer adoption metrics tied to the May spectrum pooling plan, as well as progress tied to the planned Fourth Quarter 2026 timing for SKYBOXE's Verizon Business powered offerings.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. announced it has secured over $10 million in additional orders from a leading satellite operator for its multi-orbit SkyEdge IV platform, with deliveries scheduled over the next 12 months. The orders underscore continued customer investment in SkyEdge IV and support the growth of high-capacity satellite networks serving applications including In-Flight Connectivity. Ron Levin, President of Gilat Commercial Division, said the orders reaffirm the value of the SkyEdge IV platform and the confidence customers place in Gilat's technology. The company said the orders highlight continued adoption of the platform by leading satellite operators as they expand existing services and introduce new capabilities.

Rocket Lab has booked 20 Electron launches for Synspective, a Japanese radar-imaging company, covering its StriX satellites between 2028 and 2031, in the company's largest Electron contract ever. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the agreement brings Synspective's total Electron missions to 47, more than any other customer, and lifts Rocket Lab's overall backlog past 100 missions. Citi analyst John Godyn initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $105 price target one day after the contract was announced, calling the stock a core holding for space bulls, and the shares gained 4.7% in premarket trading on October 1. The stock trades at 43.51x forward sales, roughly 50% above its recent historical average of 28.96x, and even on 2029 earnings estimates its P/E stands at 108.88x, supported by forecast earnings growth of about 76% this year and 71% in 2029, along with $2.3 billion in cash against $133.69 million of debt. Hedge fund ownership rose from 43 funds at the end of Q1 2026 to 52 funds at the end of Q2 2026, while short interest remained elevated at 7.31% of float as of September 15, 2026.

Space Exploration Technologies completed Starship Flight 14 to low Earth orbit, deploying a batch of Starlink satellites. The company is in advanced talks with TSMC on an exclusive manufacturing arrangement for custom AI-focused semiconductor chips. Starlink also signed a new Direct to Cell partnership with Beeline Kazakhstan to extend satellite connectivity to standard mobile phones. The company, a US-based telecom player with a market cap of $2.3 trillion, faces an FAA review and has less than 1 year of cash runway. The Starship flight, the TSMC chip discussions and the Beeline Direct to Cell deal only show part of the SpaceX story.

Uber Technologies agreed to acquire Boston-based corporate catering platform ezCater for $2.3 billion in an all-cash deal, expanding the ride-hailing company into the workplace dining market. ezCater runs an online catering marketplace connecting businesses with more than 140,000 restaurants nationwide and generated over $2.5 billion in gross bookings over the trailing twelve months, with high-teens year-over-year growth. Separately, Marvell Technology shares jumped 10% in early trading after the chipmaker raised its fiscal 2028 revenue guidance to $20 billion at its investor day, up from a prior $18 billion and above analyst estimates of $18.2 billion; Marvell also expects customer revenue in fiscal 2029 to rise 200% or more, with total revenue reaching between $70 billion and $90 billion by fiscal 2031. Lamb Weston reported first-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.75, beating the $0.59 consensus, on sales up 1%, and raised its fiscal 2027 sales growth forecast to low single digits from flat to 1% while lifting its EPS outlook to $3.05 to $3.35. NASA is preparing to buy rocket launches in bulk to secure scarce capacity for a permanent human base on the moon, a $30 billion program, evaluating purchases of four or five launches at a time with an initial round expected soon, according to moon base program manager Carlos García-Galán.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, who previously covered the auto sector and Tesla, has initiated coverage of SpaceX and called the stock cheap, according to Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi. Jonas's bullish case rests on five catalysts: the upcoming Starship flight 15, where the market wants to see a successful catch of the rocket's upper stage; third quarter earnings in a few weeks, which Jonas says could offer the first real look at the economics and adoption rates of SpaceX's internal AI services including Cursor and Grokbot; Starship flight 16, expected before year end if flight 15 does not demonstrate the catch; the releases of Grok 4.8, 4.9 and 5.0; and further Neo cloud deals. Sozzi also flagged reports this week that SpaceX might sign a leasing capacity deal with Microsoft, and said investors should watch whether the company can win more business from Anthropic.

Planet Labs PBC has successfully launched 20 satellites aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking its 40th successful launch and bringing the total number of satellites it has built and delivered to orbit to 718. The payload comprised the company's second Tanager satellite, 18 SuperDoves and the first demonstration mission associated with Google's Project Suncatcher. Planet Labs established initial contact with Tanager-2, the Suncatcher prototype and two SuperDove satellites after deployment, while the remaining 16 SuperDoves are expected to be deployed through D-Orbit's ION satellite carrier as planned. The Suncatcher demonstration is designed to test the feasibility of using Google Tensor Processing Units in space for machine-learning workloads, and Tanager-2, developed with Carbon Mapper, carries hyperspectral imaging capable of identifying methane emissions and supporting rare-earth element identification, water-quality monitoring and agricultural intelligence, capturing imagery across 426 contiguous spectral bands at roughly 5-nanometer spectral and 30-meter spatial resolution. The 18 SuperDoves are part of Planet Labs' Flock 4J mission and are expected to add capacity to its PlanetScope constellation, which provides near-daily global monitoring, and the company expects to launch at least three additional Tanager satellites.

Morgan Stanley raised its price target on SpaceX shares to $300 with a buy rating, sending SpaceX stock up nearly 8% on Monday, October 5, touching its highest level since mid-June and pushing Elon Musk's wealth back to $1 trillion. The new target is roughly 75% above Monday's closing price of $171.09. Analysts said the stock still looks cheap relative to its current price, supported by the launch of new AI products, progress on the Starship program, and Neocloud service contracts. The target increase follows several key SpaceX milestones, including last week's Starship rocket launch, a NASA astronaut mission to the International Space Station, and the delivery of Google AI chips into orbit. Analysts recommended that investors buy ahead of the next Starship rocket test and before third-quarter earnings, expected in late October, noting that if SpaceX succeeds in testing a robotic arm to catch the Starship upper stage as it returns to the launch pad, it could be the most significant catalyst since the IPO. SpaceX's AI business remains another driver, after its acquisition of Musk's xAI last year and its additional purchase of Cursor, with SpaceX able to generate revenue by renting computing capacity to companies such as Google and Anthropic.

Rocket Lab has locked in its largest commercial Electron contract to date, a 20 launch deal with long time partner Synspective. The agreement gives investors fresh data on launch demand and long term mission cadence. Rocket Lab's most followed valuation story pegs fair value at $85.04 per share, above the recent $73.02 close, implying the stock is 14% undervalued. The company is mid transformation from a small launch specialist into a vertically integrated space and defense prime, with Space Systems now roughly 67% of revenue and growing fastest. A $1.85b backlog, up 73% year over year and anchored by the $816m SDA Tranche 3 award, provides multi year revenue visibility that the current trailing price to sales ratio of about 72x does not yet fully reflect. The story could still break if Neutron stumbles again or if the SDA driven defense backlog slows, since both are central to the valuation case.

SpaceX is seeking approval to build a natural gas pipeline in Florida to supply fuel to rockets launching from Cape Canaveral, according to documents filed with state regulators in September. The company's subsidiary, Coastal Connect Services, or CCS, has applied to the state Public Service Commission for authorization of rates and supply terms for a new 32.4-mile, 16-inch natural gas transmission pipeline in Brevard County, where Cape Canaveral is located. SpaceX uses liquid methane as propellant for its large Starship spacecraft, and the facility is expected to supply natural gas. According to the filings, CCS plans to build and operate pipeline facilities that would deliver natural gas directly to customers from the existing Florida Gas Transmission interstate pipeline. In its application, CCS said current truck deliveries and existing local pipelines cannot meet SpaceX's growing demand at Cape Canaveral, and that a new pipeline is essential to supply natural gas safely, efficiently and in a timely manner. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

WISeQey Corp., formerly WISeKey International Holding AG, began trading on Nasdaq and SIX today under the new symbol WQEY following its redomiciliation from Switzerland to the British Virgin Islands. The company also congratulated its subsidiary WISeSat.Space Holdings Corp., now listed on Nasdaq as SAIQ, which closed a $10 million private investment in public equity on October 1, 2026, from SEALSQ Corp, a fellow WISeQey subsidiary. The purchase price was $10.79 per share, equal to the redemption price from the business combination, and the subscription agreement includes a price-protection mechanism that may trigger additional share issuance to SEALSQ if the volume-weighted average price over the 10 consecutive trading days ending on the 60th calendar day after closing falls below the purchase price, subject to a $5.00 floor. The PIPE capital is intended to fund WISeSat.Space's satellite infrastructure expansion and the integration of post-quantum cryptography into its satellites, ground and user-segment architectures, while SEALSQ plans to use WISeSat.Space satellite capacity to deliver quantum and post-quantum services. Carlos Moreira serves as CEO of WISeQey, WISeSat.Space and SEALSQ, making the PIPE investment and planned collaboration related party transactions.