New York, January 18, 2026, 12:56 EST — Market closed.
- AST SpaceMobile jumped 14.3% Friday following news it secured a prime contract slot on the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD program.
- Northrop Grumman closed at a record high, with Lockheed Martin and RTX also posting gains before the extended U.S. holiday weekend.
- U.S. markets reopen Tuesday, with defense earnings in focus later this month. RTX kicks off reports on Jan. 27, followed by Lockheed on Jan. 29.
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.
The move came just as U.S. markets prepared for a long weekend. With Wall Street shut Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, investors are left to gauge where the sector heads next, amid ongoing budget debates and national-security-related demand.
AST described the SHIELD award as an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, meaning the government can place orders over time instead of committing to a fixed revenue amount upfront. “Being selected as a prime contract awardee … is a major validation,” Chief Commercial Officer Chris Ivory said in the company statement. Business Wire
The company described SHIELD as part of its wider “Golden Dome” strategy, saying the award sets it up to vie for future task orders in areas like prototyping and operations. Investors have shown a willingness to pay premiums for anything that bridges commercial space and defense procurement, despite cash flows remaining several steps off. Business Wire
Other space-related stocks gained on Friday. Intuitive Machines jumped 10.7%, while Planet Labs edged up 1.7%, market data showed.
Within the defense sector, Kratos Defense surged 5.0%, L3Harris ticked up 1.8%, and AeroVironment jumped 3.7% following a week of heavy trading in the group.
Northrop Grumman jumped 1.9% to close at $666.90 on Friday, hitting a new peak. Boeing, by comparison, barely moved.
The rally in aerospace and defense isn’t confined to the U.S. European shares in the sector have surged in early 2026, driven by rising geopolitical tensions and expectations for increased defense budgets. Still, analysts warn that valuations look stretched.
Pipeline chatter is heating up the space sector. York Space Systems revealed Friday plans for a U.S. IPO seeking as much as $544 million, aiming for a valuation near $4.25 billion. The satellite maker pitched the deal highlighting growing government dependence on private space companies. “It places a potentially larger demand signal and a dollar sign in front of a market that already has revenue,” noted Michael Ashley Schulman, a partner at Running Point Capital Advisors. Reuters
Traders are now shifting focus from Friday’s action to upcoming data. RTX plans to release its fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 27 before the market opens, the company confirmed.
Lockheed’s earnings call is set for Jan. 29, per its investor calendar. In this sector, forecasts on production pace and cash flow often carry as much weight as the headline earnings number.
But here’s the rub with these space contracts: landing a spot on a vehicle doesn’t guarantee snagging task orders, and government schedules often stretch out. For prime contractors, any budget tweaks, supply-chain glitches, or execution hiccups can hit hard—especially when shares already reflect consistent demand.
After Monday’s close, all eyes turn to Tuesday’s reopening, followed swiftly by RTX on Jan. 27 and Lockheed on Jan. 29. Investors will be closely tracking any progress on SHIELD awards and looking for fresh contract announcements shifting from “eligible” to “funded.”
