NEW YORK — As of 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, U.S.-listed space technology stocks finished a bruising session largely in the red, pressured by a broader tech-led pullback that hit higher‑beta growth names. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% to 6,721.43 and the Nasdaq slid 1.8% to 22,693.32, extending Wall Street’s multi-day decline amid renewed investor anxiety around big-ticket technology spending and funding for data-center buildouts. [1]
Against that backdrop, space investors still had plenty to digest: Rocket Lab moved a U.S. Space Force mission forward by months; BlackSky said a third Gen‑3 satellite has entered commercial operations at record speed; Spire Global posted a quarter complicated by business divestitures and timing shifts, while issuing updated outlook ranges; and Viasat drew a fresh reiteration from Needham tied to its next Viasat‑3 satellites. [2]
Below is what mattered for space stocks on 12/17/2025, what the latest forecasts imply, and what investors are watching next.
Space stocks scoreboard: key U.S.-listed names and where they closed
The tone was “risk‑off” for most of the sector by late afternoon and into the early evening.
Launch & space systems
- Rocket Lab (RKLB): closed $53.96, down 2.8%. [3]
- Redwire (RDW): $6.44, down 2.28%.
- Intuitive Machines (LUNR): $10.21, down 5.24%.
Satellite connectivity & communications
- AST SpaceMobile (ASTS): $61.86, down 9.51%.
- Globalstar (GSAT): $56.91, down 10.64%. [4]
- Viasat (VSAT): $32.17, down 6.57%. [5]
- Iridium (IRDM): $16.59, down 1.66%.
Geospatial intelligence & space data
- Planet Labs (PL): $16.47, down 7.97%.
- BlackSky (BKSY): $16.45, down 8.46%. [6]
- Spire Global (SPIR): $7.02, down 24.27%. [7]
Other space-linked names
- Virgin Galactic (SPCE): $3.21, up 3.71%.
- EchoStar (SATS): $100.89, down 2.67%.
- Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT): $11.33, down 3.07%.
- ARK Space & Defense ETF (ARKX): $27.28, down 2.69%; Procure Space ETF (UFO): $35.48, down 3.81%.
Note: Prices reflect market data available around the time of writing (about 6 p.m. ET). After-hours moves can shift quickly.
Why space technology stocks fell today: the macro tape turned hostile to high-beta growth
Space technology stocks often trade like a hybrid of defense tech and high-growth software/hardware—meaning they can rally hard on catalysts, but also drop sharply when the broader market rotates away from risk.
That’s what today looked like. U.S. indexes fell as AI-related and mega-cap tech weakness weighed on sentiment, with reporting highlighting fresh investor worries around funding and the pace of large infrastructure projects tied to the AI boom. [8]
For the space cohort, this matters for two reasons:
- Capital costs and funding appetite: Many space firms still operate in a heavy-investment phase (constellation buildouts, satellite manufacturing, launch cadence expansion). Risk-off days can compress valuations fast.
- Narrative sensitivity: Space stocks can move on storylines—launch timelines, commissioning speed, contract wins—meaning short-term volatility is a feature, not a bug.
Even with strong company-specific headlines today, the market’s “gravity” was downward.
Rocket Lab stock: Space Force mission moved up by months, but shares slipped with the market
Rocket Lab’s headline today was fundamentally an execution story: responsive launch.
The company said its next Electron mission—STP‑S30 for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command—was pulled forward by several months, with a launch window opening 12:00 a.m. ET on Dec. 18 from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia. [9]
What’s launching—and why investors care
- The mission, “Don’t Be Such A Square,” is slated to deploy four DiskSats—disk-shaped spacecraft platforms developed by The Aerospace Corporation with NASA support—into a 550 km low Earth orbit for maneuverability and electric propulsion testing. [10]
- Rocket Lab noted the mission had an initial target of April 2026, highlighting just how meaningful the schedule acceleration is if executed smoothly. [11]
This is the type of capability defense customers want: not just access to orbit, but access to orbit quickly.
The stock reaction
Despite the news, Rocket Lab shares closed down 2.8% at $53.96, consistent with the day’s broader market decline. [12]
What to watch next: For RKLB, near-term trading typically hinges on (1) clean launch execution, and (2) whether investors treat “responsive launch” as a repeatable edge that can support future government task orders.
BlackSky stock: third Gen‑3 satellite enters commercial ops at record speed—yet BKSY dropped
BlackSky delivered one of the day’s most concrete operational updates: it said its third Gen‑3 satellite entered commercial operations in just three weeks following launch, reflecting faster commissioning than earlier units and rapidly expanding capacity available to customers. [13]
Why this Gen‑3 milestone matters
According to the company, customers now have access to three current Gen‑3 satellites through its Spectra tasking and analytics platform, with the ability to collect high‑cadence day and nighttime imagery and run automated, AI-enabled detection/identification analytics (vessels, aircraft, vehicles). [14]
BlackSky also emphasized that faster commissioning puts tasking capacity in customers’ hands sooner and can increase the effective operational life of satellites by bringing them online earlier. [15]
The stock reaction: “good news” met “bad tape”
Even with the positive announcement, BKSY fell 8.46% to $16.45. [16]
That divergence is a reminder that in space stocks, company execution can be strong while macro risk appetite drives the share price in the opposite direction—especially on days when growth and tech factor exposure is being cut.
What to watch next: Any additional updates on (1) constellation growth cadence, and (2) customer expansion tied to the Gen‑3/Spectra stack, which BlackSky framed as a “land and expand” approach. [17]
Spire Global stock: earnings day, guidance ranges, and revenue shifted into 2026
If there was a “center of gravity” for today’s space-stock volatility, it was Spire Global (SPIR).
Spire reported third-quarter 2025 revenue of $12.7 million, noting the year-over-year decline was primarily associated with the prior sale of its maritime business (and that comparisons should be viewed with that context). [18]
But the key issue for investors wasn’t only the divestiture—it was timing.
What Spire said drove the shortfall
Spire stated that Q3 revenue was lower than expectations, primarily due to revenue recognition timing and uncertainty around renewal of an Earth observation data contract. Importantly, it said the revenue impacted by timing remains fully contracted and is expected to be recognized in 2026 as milestones are executed and delivered. [19]
Spire also reported:
- Adjusted EBITDA of negative $11.8 million in Q3, and described how timing effects and working-capital dynamics impacted cash usage. [20]
- Remaining performance obligations of more than $200 million, with about $70 million expected to be recognized as revenue in 2026. [21]
Guidance: the “forecast” investors traded today
For the fourth quarter 2025, Spire guided revenue of $14.8–$16.8 million. For full-year 2025, it guided revenue of $70.5–$72.5 million (noting the impact of the U.S. government shutdown and timing delays). [22]
It also said that given revenue movement out of 2025, it now expects in excess of 30% revenue growth in 2026 for the remaining business after the maritime divestiture, and it is targeting becoming adjusted EBITDA and operating cash flow break-even to positive by no later than Q4 2026. [23]
Spire additionally highlighted recent contract activity, including awards from NOAA and other customers tied to weather, space weather, and satellite capabilities. [24]
The stock reaction
Spire shares were punished: SPIR fell 24.27% to $7.02. [25]
How to read it: Today’s move looked like a classic earnings-day repricing where investors prioritized near-term revenue timing certainty over longer-term contract backlog and 2026 growth targets.
Viasat stock: Needham reiterates Buy, points to Viasat‑3 capacity expansion—shares still fell
Viasat’s catalyst today was analyst-driven. Needham reiterated a Buy rating and a $45 price target, framing the company as preparing to significantly expand global capacity. [26]
The key forecast: mid-2026 satellite entry into service
Needham highlighted that Viasat‑3 F2 and F3 are expected to enter service by mid‑2026, which it said would tripleViasat’s current global capacity. [27]
The note also discussed expectations for Viasat’s Communications Services segment, including a projected return to year‑over‑year growth in fiscal 2027, while acknowledging competitive pressure. [28]
The stock reaction
Despite the reiteration, VSAT fell 6.57% to $32.17. [29]
What to watch next: Investors are likely to focus on the execution path to Viasat‑3 service entry and whether the capacity ramp translates into measurable financial improvement within the time frame analysts are underwriting.
AST SpaceMobile stock: launch timing remains the near-term narrative driver
AST SpaceMobile’s story continues to be dominated by launch cadence and schedule confidence—and the stock’s sensitivity to any perceived slippage.
AST previously announced BlueBird 6 with a target launch date of December 15 (as part of a broader multi-provider campaign aiming to scale to 45–60 satellites by end of 2026). [30]
In recent days, multiple reports indicated the launch date was pushed back (with some citing December 21). [31]
The stock reaction today
ASTS shares fell 9.51% to $61.86 by early evening.
What to watch next: Any confirmed launch timing updates—and then, critically, proof that the company can turn launches into operational service and revenue-producing coverage on a repeatable schedule.
Globalstar stock: a Reuters-reported Form 144 filing added noise as shares pulled back
Globalstar was in focus after a Reuters item reported that the company’s CFO filed a Form 144 proposing the sale of 4,829 shares, with an approximate sale date of 12/17/25. [32]
On the day, GSAT fell 10.64% to $56.91. [33]
It’s hard to attribute a single-day move to a single input—particularly in a stock that can be momentum-driven and headline-sensitive—but today’s combination of broader risk-off sentiment plus a governance/filing headline was not supportive.
Planet Labs stock: profit-taking tone after a big run, with space-data names hit by risk-off flows
Planet Labs did not have a major new company press release crossing the wires today, but PL still dropped 7.97% to $16.47—a meaningful move in a name that has proven highly volatile around growth and defense/analytics narratives.
Given the broader market environment, today’s action fit the pattern of “sell higher-beta winners first,” particularly among thematic baskets like space data and defense analytics.
The bigger takeaway for space technology stocks: execution headlines matter—but macro still sets the mood
Space technology stocks are increasingly tied to two durable demand pillars:
- National security and defense modernization (responsive launch, ISR, tactical intelligence, resilient comms)
- Commercial connectivity and data services (broadband, direct-to-device connectivity, weather/space-weather data, analytics platforms)
But the market still prices these businesses through a 2025 lens: growth visibility, funding conditions, and execution risk.
Today made that clear:
- Rocket Lab and BlackSky delivered tangible operational progress. [34]
- Spire delivered a forward view (guidance ranges and 2026 growth targets) that investors quickly weighed against near-term uncertainty. [35]
- Viasat got supportive analyst commentary, but macro pressure still drove the tape. [36]
What to watch next: near-term catalysts that could move space stocks
Here are the sector catalysts that matter most over the next days and weeks:
- Rocket Lab’s STP‑S30 launch execution and any follow-through commentary on responsive-launch demand. [37]
- AST SpaceMobile launch confirmation and progress toward expanding its operational constellation footprint. [38]
- Spire’s contract conversion and revenue recognition timing—whether “fully contracted” revenue shifts into 2026 translate into cleaner quarterly visibility. [39]
- BlackSky Gen‑3 capacity ramp and customer expansion tied to Spectra tasking and AI analytics delivery. [40]
- Viasat‑3 timeline as investors handicap the mid‑2026 capacity step-change described by Needham. [41]
Bottom line
On Dec. 17, 2025, space technology stocks largely traded lower as the market punished risk, even as several companies posted legitimately meaningful operational or fundamental updates. For investors, the message was familiar: in space, execution creates the long-term opportunity, but the macro tape can dominate the short-term price.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
References
1. apnews.com, 2. www.globenewswire.com, 3. www.barrons.com, 4. www.tradingview.com, 5. www.investing.com, 6. ir.blacksky.com, 7. ir.spire.com, 8. apnews.com, 9. www.globenewswire.com, 10. www.globenewswire.com, 11. www.globenewswire.com, 12. www.barrons.com, 13. ir.blacksky.com, 14. ir.blacksky.com, 15. ir.blacksky.com, 16. ir.blacksky.com, 17. ir.blacksky.com, 18. ir.spire.com, 19. ir.spire.com, 20. ir.spire.com, 21. ir.spire.com, 22. ir.spire.com, 23. ir.spire.com, 24. ir.spire.com, 25. ir.spire.com, 26. www.investing.com, 27. www.investing.com, 28. www.investing.com, 29. www.investing.com, 30. www.businesswire.com, 31. timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 32. www.tradingview.com, 33. www.tradingview.com, 34. www.globenewswire.com, 35. ir.spire.com, 36. www.investing.com, 37. www.globenewswire.com, 38. www.businesswire.com, 39. ir.spire.com, 40. ir.blacksky.com, 41. www.investing.com
