Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile Shares Are Surging Monday: What's Fueling The Move?

Rocket Lab Corp RKLB and AST SpaceMobile Inc ASTS shares continue to climb on Monday following a public dispute between SpaceX's Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.

What Happened: Trump and Musk feuded on social media last week sparked by Musk’s disapproval of a large tax bill being pushed by Trump.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said the easiest way to cut spending is to get rid of Musk's government subsidies and contracts.

Musk fired back with an X post suggesting SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft, which is currently the only option the U.S. has for carrying crew members to the International Space Station. He later walked back those comments in response to a user suggesting he take time to “cool off.”

Space stocks rallied in response as investors began speculating that the feud could lead to more opportunities for other space companies.

Over the weekend, Musk made another post pointing to the U.S.’s reliance on SpaceX, noting that “we have got the spaceships, and they do not.” The post appears to be driving continued momentum in shares of Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile to start the week.

Rocket Lab has multiple contracts with NASA and is thought to be one of the companies being considered for Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system. Trump announced the architecture for the $175 billion Golden Dome a couple weeks ago, stating that the system will feature next-generation technologies, including “space-based sensors and interceptors.” 

The U.S. could also turn to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to help lower reliance on SpaceX. AST SpaceMobile is one of Blue Origin’s top customers after the companies signed a deal last November for the launch of up to 45 satellites. A Scotiabank analyst speculated last week that the relationship between the two companies could become stronger in the near future.

Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile are trading higher on above-average volume on Monday. Rocket Lab’s session volume was around 35 million at last check, well above its average volume of approximately 16 million. Meanwhile, AST SpaceMobile has seen 15 million shares exchanged on Monday, above its average session volume of about 10.6 million, according to Benzinga Pro.

RKLB, ASTS Price Action: Rocket Lab shares were up 7.92% at $31.21 and AST SpaceMobile shares were up 16.9% at $36.55 at the time of publication Monday, according to Benzinga Pro.

Read Next:

• Public Fight Between Trump and Musk Rocks Tesla, SpaceX: Here Are the Biggest Bombshells
• Trump, Musk Feud Fuels SpaceX Rivals: Space Stock Countdown

Photo: courtesy of Rocket Lab.