Rocket Lab: A 1,000%+ Winner

Rocket Lab is among Luke Lango’s 39 investments that soared by 1,000 percent or more, with gains of 3,359 percent. That track record matters because it demonstrates Lango’s ability to identify space economy stocks before their major runs. In the XPanse presentation at InvestorPlace, the space economy is central to the thesis, and understanding how companies like Rocket Lab fit the broader picture helps contextualize the investment opportunity.

As we explain in our full review of the INI XPanse presentation, Lango was named TipRanks’ #1 stock picker with an 84 percent win rate. His track record in space stocks includes not just Rocket Lab but also exposure to SpaceX through the IPO and the broader space supply chain. For more on Lango’s background, see our profile of Luke Lango.

The Space Economy at Scale

The space economy has grown dramatically, driven largely by SpaceX. Lango provides specific data points:

  • SpaceX conducted 166 orbital launches in 2026, compared to 92 for China and 17 for Russia
  • Over 10,000 Starlink satellites now orbit Earth
  • SpaceX’s launch cost reduction has achieved a 97 percent reduction
  • Musk is targeting $10 per kilogram for Starship, down from $1,500 per kilogram

The SpaceX IPO, which Lango says made Musk “the world’s first trillionaire,” created enormous wealth. Antonio Gracias, Musk’s best friend, made over $97 billion from early SpaceX investment. Luke Nosek, the first venture capital investor to back SpaceX, has a stake worth $4.5 billion. Darsana Capital Partners, a hedge fund that went “all-in” on SpaceX in 2019, made $10 billion in seven years.

These are real wealth-creation events from the space economy. Lango’s argument is that the XPanse merger would create the next wave, and the companies in the supply chain are positioned to benefit. For more on the broader investment framework, see our article on growth potential.

The NASA ETF: Free Space Economy Exposure

Lango reveals the Tema Space Innovators ETF (NYSE: NASA) as his free ticker. This ETF “holds direct SpaceX exposure as a core position” and provides diversified exposure to the space economy. Lango draws a critical distinction:

“Unlike the closed-end funds trading at enormous markups to what they actually own, this is an ETF, meaning its price tracks the real value of what’s inside it. You’re paying for the assets. Not for the excitement around the assets.”

This is genuinely useful advice. Many investors seeking SpaceX exposure have bought closed-end funds at 50 to 100 percent premiums to net asset value. The NASA ETF, as a traditional ETF, tracks the real value of its holdings, avoiding the premium problem. For more on space stocks, see our article on space stocks.

The $15 Space Stock

Lango’s first paid pick is a space stock trading for $15 per share. He describes it as “a mission-critical supplier to the booming aerospace industry” with hardware aboard the Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis II mission. It specializes in the complex solar arrays that SpaceX uses for its orbital data centers and recently soared 181 percent in three weeks.

The investment thesis is straightforward: if SpaceX scales orbital data center production (Musk has filed with the FCC to launch up to 1 million), the demand for solar arrays scales with it. The $15 stock is a picks-and-shovels play on the orbital data center buildout. For more on this angle, see our article on AI compute capacity.

The Broader Space Stock Universe

The space economy extends beyond SpaceX and Rocket Lab. It includes:

  • Launch providers that put satellites and hardware into orbit
  • Satellite manufacturers that build the hardware operating in space
  • Component suppliers that make the solar arrays, communication systems, and structural elements
  • Ground infrastructure companies that support orbital operations
  • Rare earth and materials companies that supply the raw materials

The NASA ETF provides exposure across this universe. The $15 stock targets a specific component supplier. And the rare earth kingpin Lango identifies, with $1.6 billion in government funding and a mine 70 miles from the Terafab site, represents the raw materials layer. For more on the supply chain, see our article on sources for Tesla and SpaceX.

SpaceX’s Dominance

SpaceX’s dominance in the space economy is what makes the XPanse thesis compelling. In 2026, SpaceX conducted 166 orbital launches, nearly double China’s 92 and nearly ten times Russia’s 17. Over 10,000 Starlink satellites provide global internet coverage. The 97 percent reduction in launch costs has made space accessible in a way it has never been before.

If Musk achieves his $10 per kilogram target for Starship, the economics of space-based infrastructure transform entirely. Orbital data centers, satellite constellations, and space manufacturing all become economically viable at that cost level. The companies supplying the components for this space-based infrastructure, like the $15 solar array stock, are positioned to benefit from the scaling.

Considerations

Rocket Lab’s 3,359 percent gain demonstrates that real wealth creation has occurred in space stocks. The SpaceX IPO and the wealth it created for early investors (Gracias $97 billion, Nosek $4.5 billion, Darsana $10 billion) are verifiable events. The NASA ETF provides a responsible, accessible way to gain space economy exposure without premium risks.

What to consider: The $15 space stock has already surged 181 percent in three weeks, meaning it is not as cheap as it was. The FCC filing for up to 1 million orbital data centers is a regulatory aspiration, not a deployment plan. The $10 per kilogram Starship target has not been achieved yet. And the space economy, while growing, is still dependent on SpaceX’s success, which concentrates risk.

What makes the space economy thesis worth considering is the combination of verifiable wealth creation (Rocket Lab, SpaceX IPO), real technology trends (launch cost reduction, satellite deployment), specific investment vehicles (NASA ETF, $15 stock), and the connection to the broader XPanse thesis (orbital data centers, Terafab integration). For investors interested in the space economy, the XPanse presentation provides a useful framework.

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This is not financial advice. Always do your own research before investing.