Forget the SpaceX IPO: 3 AI Space Stocks to Buy and Hold Instead
Written by Lyle Daly for The Motley Fool -> SpaceX is going public on June 12, but at a steep valuation. Planet Labs, BlackSky, and Redwire are three alternatives that provide space and AI exposure. Planet Labs and BlackSky are Earth-imaging companies, and Redwire manufactures
Planet Labs, BlackSky, and Redwire are three alternatives that provide space and AI exposure.
Planet Labs and BlackSky are Earth-imaging companies, and Redwire manufactures space infrastructure.
The popular space company is planning to go public on June 12 at a share price of $135 and a valuation of $1.77 trillion. The ticker symbol will be SPCX, trading on the Nasdaq Global Markets exchange.
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SpaceX generated $18.7 billion of revenue in 2025, so the company's valuation is a big talking point, as it will premiere at about 95 times sales. Morningstar recently valued SpaceX at less than half that ($780 billion).
If you're interested in SpaceX because it provides space and AI exposure, it's not the only game in town. Here are three other space stocks to consider, all trading at cheaper valuations.
Founded by ex-NASA scientists, Planet Labs (NYSE: PL) aims to image all of Earth's landmass every day. It operates over 200 imaging satellites, and it sells Earth observation data to customers across several industries, including agriculture, defense, and finance.
AI powers the analytics layer that uses satellite images to provide structured data. Planet Analytics tools detect buildings, roads, vessels, and aircraft, provide early identification of new construction, and identify geographic features. For an example of how this can be beneficial, agricultural companies partnered with Planet Labs can use its data to optimize fertilizer usage and irrigation.
