SpaceX vs. Rocket Lab: Which Space Stock Looks Like the Better Buy Right Now?
SpaceX controls the largest share of the launch market, but No. 2 Rocket Labs is growing impressively, too.
Overview
If you're trying to pick one pure-play space stock right now, I would lean toward Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) over Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB). Both are doing real work in orbit, but only one has turned that work into a massive, increasingly profitable business with millions of paying customers and global attention.
On paper, Rocket Lab looks like the kind of company growth investors love. In the first quarter of 2026, it reported record revenue of $200.3 million, up 63.5% year over year, with a GAAP gross margin of 38.2% and a backlog that climbed to $2.2 billion. It now has more than 70 missions on its manifest, and is selling not just launches on its Electron rocket but also satellite buses, components, and future capacity on its larger Neutron rocket.
Image source: Getty Images.
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Originally published at www.fool.com.