Space and Defense Stocks to Watch: AST SpaceMobile spikes on SHIELD slot as Northrop sets a high
New York, January 18, 2026, 12:56 EST — Market closed. AST SpaceMobile shares jumped Friday following the company’s announcement that it secured a prime contract role in the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) program. (Business Wire) The move came just as U.S. markets prepared for a long weekend. With Wall Street shut Monday for…