Key Highlights

● NASA named eight companies to its Moon Base program.

● The awards are worth up to $10 billion in total.

● SpaceX shares climbed to $142.07.

● The Russell 2000 surged 86.71 points to 2,840.81.

NASA named eight companies to its Moon Base program on Monday, November 9, 2026, in awards worth up to $10 billion in total, according to news reports. The framework covers lunar delivery work.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman summed up the approach in remarks: "We are building the Moon Base mission by mission."

Among the publicly traded winners were SpaceX, which trades under the ticker SPCX, Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ:FLY), Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) and Voyager Technologies (NYSE:VOYG), according to market coverage and market data.

The winners take off

SpaceX shares climbed to $142.07, according to a ticker, after Stifel reiterated its Buy rating with a $190 price target. The stock had been only modestly higher in premarket trading before the rally built through the day.

Firefly Aerospace was one of the session's bigger space movers. Market data reported shares jumped to $23.18 in the morning, and a later widget showed them at $24.31. Firefly had also been in the news days earlier, when AST SpaceMobile disclosed that Firefly would Supply Miranda engines for its rocket.

Intuitive Machines soared to $11.58 in morning trade Voyager Technologies also rose, though the size of its move was not reported.

Even the non-winners rallied

The excitement was contagious. Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB), which was not among the NASA winners, rallied sharply during the regular session ahead of its Earnings report. Market data noted the stock had soared over two days in what it called the company's third-best two-day run in two years. After the close, Rocket Lab reported third-quarter Revenue of $267.8 million, ahead of estimates, but a loss of $0.12 per share, wider than expected, and the shares slipped in after-hours trading, according to market reports.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) jumped to close at $36.89 on news of a joint venture with Rakuten in Japan that could be eligible for up to about $1 billion of Japanese government funding, according to market data. Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) and Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) also climbed with the group, though no company-specific news was found for either.

The market gave space a tailwind

Space names had help from a broad risk-on mood. The S&P 500 jumped 173.08 points to 7,549.94, its best day since April 8, and the Russell 2000, home to many smaller space companies, surged 86.71 points to 2,840.81, its best day since March 31. Falling oil prices and a rebound in AI-linked stocks lifted sentiment after a rough prior week.

Space was also a favorite topic for retail traders. Rocket Lab ranked fourth among the most-mentioned tickers on Reddit's r/wallstreetbets over the 24 hours to Monday evening, with 168 mentions, and AST SpaceMobile also made the top ten with 119, according to news reports.

Not every space story was purely upbeat. Rocket Lab's first Neutron launch slipped to 2027 after a propellant-tank flaw, according to market coverage, a reminder that development timelines in the industry can shift.

Task Orders Define Space Winners

Investors will look for details on how NASA's up-to-$10 billion framework is split among the eight companies and when task orders are issued. Rocket Lab's after-hours slide shows that earnings can quickly cool a rally, so reactions to AST SpaceMobile's results, which also came after the close, matter too. Broader risk appetite will hinge on Tuesday's October consumer price report and the Federal Reserve's December meeting.