ASTI Shares Surged Over 53% Today — What’s Elon Musk Got To Do With It?

• Ascent Solar Technologies designs and manufactures featherweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar panels that are already used in space, military, and defense operations. 
• In 2025, Ascent highlighted strong commercial and technical momentum, due to new strategic partnerships across the defense, space, and energy sectors.
• In 2026, the company said it will continue rigorous environmental testing for space applications while deepening earlier partnerships.

Shares of Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI) rallied over 53% on Thursday, even as the company garnered significant retail attention on Stocktwits.

The surge comes as Ascent Solar, a company that designs and manufactures featherweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar panels used in space, military and defense operations, provided details on its achievements in 2025, as well as insights into corporate growth in 2026.

Ascent Solar also popped into retail investors’ spotlight after SpaceX owner Elon Musk said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the aerospace company would launch solar-powered artificial intelligence satellites in a few years.

Company Updates

For 2025, Ascent cited strong commercial and technical momentum, highlighted by new strategic partnerships across the defense, space, and energy sectors, rapid product delivery initiatives for civil and defense missions, and continued advancements in its thin-film PV technology. 

The company said it closed a private placement of up to $5.5 million and partnered with Georgia Tech to demonstrate thin-film PV on UAV wings, targeting continuous-flight ocean monitoring applications.

Looking to 2026, Ascent said it plans to ramp up production to meet first-quarter (Q1) deployment schedules, expand European partnerships and UAV deliveries, and further improve the efficiency and resilience of its CIGS thin-film technology. 

The company added that it will continue rigorous environmental testing for space applications while deepening partnerships formed in 2025 to support future growth.

“Our thin-film product is uniquely qualified to withstand the rigors of space and other punishing environments; as the market demand grows, we expect increased sales and revenue in 2026,” said Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies.

Musk’s Solar Plans

Meanwhile, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Musk said, “One of the things we'll be doing with SpaceX within a few years is launching solar-powered AI satellites, right? Because space is really the source of immense power, and then you don't need to take up any room on earth.”

Musk justified his statement by saying that any solar panel will provide five times more energy in space than on the ground, adding that “it's a no-brainer for building solar-powered AI data centers in space.”

He added that putting AI in space will be possible within two or three years at the latest.

Ascent Solar already has photovoltaic (PV) modules deployed on space missions and multiple airborne vehicles, and Musk’s comments open up possibilities for new use cases.

What Did Stocktwits Users Say?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around ASTI shares jumped from ‘bearish’ to ‘extremely bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, message volumes jumped from ‘extremely low’ to ‘extremely high’ levels.

One user predicted that the company’s shares would rocket to $30 as Elon Musk’s plans for a data center in space would require solar power.

Another user highlighted Musk’s comments on traditional solar panels being useless for gigawatt-scale orbital AI and his specific call for featherweight arrays. He also noted that Philippe Kassouf, one of SpaceX's founders, joined Ascent Solar as a strategic advisor.

Shares of ASTI have more than doubled in the past year, gaining over 129%.

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