ASTS, RKLB Slip Overnight Amid Falcon 9 Booking Freeze: Retail Traders Say SpaceX Is ‘Ruining’ Space Stocks

• SpaceX has reportedly stopped taking some Falcon 9 bookings beyond 2028 and paused parts of expendable hardware production.
• Rocket Lab could benefit from tighter Falcon 9 availability as it advances its reusable Neutron rocket.
• Retail traders blamed SpaceX for the sector slump, though some expect capital to rotate back into ASTS and RKLB.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) slipped 1% and 0.3%, respectively, in overnight trading heading into Friday as reports that SpaceX is pulling back future Falcon 9 bookings reignited concerns over launch access, sector sentiment and investor capital.

ASTS is up 2% for the week, while RKLB has gained 4%, with both stocks looking to snap two-session losing streaks. 

SpaceX Pulls Back Falcon 9 Bookings

SpaceX has reportedly begun turning away customers seeking dedicated Falcon 9 launches beyond 2028 and is no longer accepting future reservations for its Falcon 9 rideshare program, where multiple satellite operators share a single launch. The company has also supposedly halted production of some expendable Falcon hardware, including upper-stage components, signaling a deeper shift toward Starship, Bloomberg reported.

The plans could still apparently change if Starship encounters further development setbacks, and Falcon 9 is expected to continue supporting certain NASA and U.S. Department of Defense missions. The report comes at a time when Starship remains behind schedule, with repeated testing delays contributing to a selloff that has pushed SpaceX shares below their $135 IPO price.

ASTS, RKLB Face SpaceX Impact

AST SpaceMobile recently said that BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 had fully deployed, while satellites 11 through 13 are already at Cape Canaveral and production has advanced through satellite 42. The next-gen satellites are designed to approach 200 Mbps and can be launched in stacked groups.

AST also raised $1.15 billion through convertible notes to fund growth and secure launch capacity. That remains critical because SpaceX has launched most of AST’s fleet and is expected to carry its next batch, even as Starlink competes with AST in direct-to-cell services.

Rocket Lab, meanwhile, could benefit if Falcon 9 availability tightens. Its reusable Neutron rocket recently completed a key engine test and could attract customers seeking alternatives should Starship face further delays.

Retail Traders Blame SpaceX For Space Slump

Retail investors largely viewed the latest developments through the lens of a sector-wide downturn. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was ‘bearish’ for ASTS and SPCX, with ‘low’ and ‘high’ message volume, respectively, while RKLB sentiment was ‘bullish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume. 

"The SpaceX IPO has ruined the whole Space Sector," one trader said. Another user said: "Delist SPCX. Ruined the sector." 

A separate trader compared the current environment with Rocket Lab’s earlier slump around $4 to $5, saying space stocks were back in the market's "naughty corner," where positive company news was failing to lift share prices. Another user argued that SpaceX was "dragging all space stocks downwards," while expressing confidence that the sector would eventually recover.

Others saw the weakness as a temporary capital rotation. One investor said "a LOT of money just left SpaceX" and said that ASTS, RKLB and other space stocks had been caught in the same move. Another user said that the current divergence between ASTS and SpaceX reflected the unwinding of hedged positions and pointed to the period between SpaceX's expected Aug.7 share unlock and AST SpaceMobile's Aug.17 earnings report as a potential "great switcheroo."

Over the past year, ASTS has gained 0.4%, while RKLB has climbed 42%. 

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