Over the past five years, since its 2021 IPO, Rocket Lab (RKLB -7.82%) stock has emerged as one of the premier opportunities for those seeking exposure to the burgeoning space economy. Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is the developer of the Electron rocket, which was the second most-frequently launched U.S. rocket in 2025. As of May 2026, the Electron rocket, which is designed for smaller payloads such as cubesats, has completed 88 launches and deployed more than 260 satellites.
Rocket Lab isn't resting on its laurels regarding its launch services. The company expects the inaugural flight of its Neutron rocket to occur in 2026. Unlike Electron, which can deliver payloads up to 300 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO), Neutron is designed as a reusable rocket capable of delivering payloads up to 13,000 kilograms to LEO.
The demand for Rocket Lab's launch services is consistently high. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, Rocket Lab reported a backlog exceeding $2.2 billion, a 108% year-over-year increase. With revenues growing and Neutron launches expected to occur in 2026, Rocket Lab stock is a strong alternative to SpaceX stock.
2. Blue Origin
Unsatisfied with developing Amazon (AMZN +0.93%) into the online retail juggernaut that it is today, Jeff Bezos has set his sights higher -- directly overhead, in fact. In 2000, Bezos founded Blue Origin, which has the ambitious mission of enabling a future in which humans expand their presence beyond Earth, paralleling Elon Musk's SpaceX goal of a human settlement on Mars.
While Blue Origin doesn't conduct extensive commercial operations like SpaceX, the company is playing an important role in NASA's Artemis lunar exploration program. In May 2026, for example, NASA awarded Blue Origin $188 million (with an option worth $280 million) for Blue Origin's New Glenn rockets, which will help deliver two rovers to the lunar surface.
Blue Origin suffered a setback in May 2026 when its New Glenn rocket exploded on the launch pad during an engine-firing test, but the company expects to launch a rocket again before 2026 ends. While Blue Origin stock isn't an option right now since the company hasn't had an IPO, it's one to watch for space investors. An IPO may very well occur in the coming years.
3. Firefly Aerospace
