Both stocks have outperformed benchmark indices so far this year, with retail interest significantly picking up, especially after a key SpaceX event last month.

LUNR has been a standout in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, notably achieving a successful lunar landing earlier this year. Representative image via Vecteezy

Ramakrishnan M·Stocktwits

Updated Jul 02, 2025 | 8:31 PM GMT-04

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Shares of Rocket Lab USA, Inc. ($RKLB) and Intuitive Machines, Inc. ($LUNR) soared more than 20% last week as retail interest in space stocks continued to build momentum.

The broader commercial space sector has been gaining traction, especially following SpaceX’s latest successful Starship flight test last month, which has reignited enthusiasm among investors.

Reusable Rocket Player

Rocket Lab benefited from a couple of bullish calls on Wall Street. Stifel analyst Erik Rasmussen raised the price target on Rocket Lab to $15 from $9, maintaining a ‘Buy’ rating after meetings with CFO Adam Spice at the Stifel 2024 Midwest One-on-One Conference.

Stifel expressed “high-level conviction” in Rocket Lab’s ability to bring its Neutron rocket — a partially reusable medium-lift two-stage launch vehicle — to market, citing strong momentum in its Space Systems division.

The analyst highlighted award momentum and the company’s focus on scaling towards “attractive and profitable growth opportunities.”

Similarly, Citi increased its price target on the stock to $13 from $7 while reaffirming a ‘Buy’ rating. The brokerage believes Rocket Lab’s strategic push into the space-based services market could serve as a new revenue stream, potentially accelerating growth in the years to come.

The company is set to report its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, having beaten profit estimates in three of the last four quarters.

Retail enthusiasm for RKLB has been notable on Stocktwits, where message volume spiked 50% last week, with sentiment closing at ‘bullish’ levels on Friday.

RKLB sentiment and message volume as of Nov 8 close.png — RKLB sentiment and message volume as of Nov 8 close | source: Stocktwits

Rocket Lab’s stock has gained over 150% year-to-date.

Lunar First-Mover

Intuitive Machines’ profile received a boost recently after it secured a $500 million NASA contract for Near Space Network Services, a deal that could expand up to $4.8 billion.

The company has been a standout in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, notably achieving a successful lunar landing earlier this year.

It has seen a better surge in retail interest, with message volume on Stocktwits jumping over 200% last week.

Sentiment improved from ‘bearish’ to ‘neutral’ over that period on the back of the NASA contract, as well as a successful lunar landing from earlier this year.

Despite recent volatility, LUNR shares have surged more than 300% year-to-date, outpacing broader market indices.

The company is due to report quarterly earnings on Thursday.