Over the last few months, some of the shine around space stocks since the June 12 initial public offering of Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX -1.20%) has dulled. That said, that doesn't change the moneymaking opportunities in the space sector over the long term.
According to the World Economic Forum, the global space sector could be worth $1.8 trillion by 2035. With that in mind, there are two stocks I would consider investing in that can take advantage of that growing market: MDA Space (MDA +1.58%) and, of course, SpaceX.
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1. MDA Space
I'm going to spend less time reviewing MDA Space since I believe SpaceX offers the bigger opportunity. But that still doesn't diminish what MDA Space could offer.
Based in Canada, MDA has a rich history, having been founded in 1969. In 1981, it built a robotic arm for NASA's Space Shuttle program, which was used to deploy, retrieve, and repair payloads. And in 1995, MDA Space launched the world's first commercially focused radar satellite. Its operations today are even more advanced as technological capabilities have increased, with MDA manufacturing satellites and developing robotic solutions for space repair and maintenance.
What I like most about MDA Space is that it's not a start-up trying to figure out how to be profitable, which offers an opportunity for more risk-averse investors who want to invest in the space industry. As of June 30, 2026, MDA Space has recorded adjusted net income 102.5 million Canadian dollars, an increase from the CA$84.4 million reported in the prior-year period.
Thus far in 2026, the stock price has performed well, climbing 48.6% compared with the S&P 500's 13.2% return. And as the company provides critical hardware for space exploration and operations, MDA can continue to reward investors through the essential nature of its offerings.
NYSE: MDA
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2. Space Exploration Technologies
Since shares began trading publicly on June 12, the SpaceX stock price has traded as high as $225.64 and as low was $104.83. That's probably an early preview of the type of volatility long-term investors are likely to experience and should expect.
That said, for those who can handle the price-swing roller coaster, the rewards could outweigh the risks. What makes SpaceX stand out in the sector is its focus on artificial intelligence (AI), with space operations that help build AI infrastructure. For instance, SpaceX shared in its Form S-1 filing that its projected total addressable market is $28.5 trillion, with $26.5 trillion of that connected to AI.
SpaceX has already provided an early preview of how it can make money from its ground-based data centers. Elon Musk's company has deals with both Anthropic and Alphabet, which rent compute capacity from SpaceX's data centers. Combined, those deals could generate $26 billion annually, which is 39% more than the company's entire 2025 sales of $18.7 billion. It also has a deal with the private company Reflection AI, which could be worth $6.3 billion if the deal runs through 2029.
NASDAQ: SPCX
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Those revenue opportunities could expand even further, however, as SpaceX builds out the infrastructure needed for orbital data centers. In January, SpaceX filed to launch up to 1 million satellites into space to serve as data centers. Those satellites, according to SpaceX's filing before it went public, could be launched as early as 2028.
The challenge is that none of that will happen overnight, and it's going to cost a lot of money for that AI infrastructure build-out in space. Capital expenditures in 2025 for SpaceX's AI division were $12.7 billion, significantly higher than the $3.8 billion spent on its space segment and the $4.1 billion spent on its connectivity division.
That said, analysts are still typically bullish on where the stock price could be heading by September 2027, which can help frame the risk-to-reward framework for those interested in investing in SpaceX or adding more shares. According to CNN, of the 40 analysts who track SpaceX, 75% rate it as a buy, 18% as a hold, and 8% as a sell. From that group, the median one-year price target is $217, representing a 51% gain from its Aug. 31 closing price of $143.69.
To visualize what the gain may look like a little better, if someone bought $1,000 worth of SpaceX stock at around that $143 closing price on Aug. 31, that would provide just under seven shares with fractional investing. If SpaceX stock reached $217 per share, that $1,000 investment would be worth approximately $1,508.
For the long term, the gains could be even more significant, with price targets as high as $900 on the stock. There's no guarantee it will ever reach that price, but again, it helps establish a risk-reward profile for more aggressive investors who may consider buying SpaceX stock on pullbacks and holding for years.
