2026 Space Race Heats Up, Three Musk SpaceX Space Concept Stocks at a Glance

According to the latest video analysis released by The Economist on December 29, 2025, the world is rapidly entering a new strategic phase. By 2026, space is no longer just infrastructure for communication, navigation, and observation, but is officially regarded by military planners around the world as one of the core domains of future warfare. Among these, several space-related concept stocks associated with Musk’s SpaceX may become key points of observation.

Warfare Shifts to Space, Orbital Capabilities Become the Key to Victory

The Economist points out that U.S. military planning has officially incorporated space into its core concept of future warfare. In the event of conflicts with Russia or China, the U.S. believes that maintaining operational capability in space will be a decisive factor in determining the outcome.

This includes not only protecting its own satellites but also the ability to counteract adversary space assets when necessary. It is even explicitly stated that the key to future warfare will no longer be limited to land, sea, and air, but will extend further into Earth’s orbit.

Under this strategic thinking, President Trump has requested a budget increase of up to 40% for the U.S. Space Force in the next fiscal year, led by Space Force generals to develop the “Golden Dome” missile defense system. The plan involves deploying interceptors in space, primarily to intercept enemy missiles early in their launch. The Economist also notes that although officially positioned for defense, from a technical perspective, such systems theoretically also have the potential to attack enemy satellites.

Full Militarization of Space Accelerates, Rules and Risks Emerge Simultaneously

The video also mentions that Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket has been incorporated into the U.S. military space layout, becoming one of its key strategic assets. If future conflicts lead to significant damage to U.S. satellites, the Starship, with its rapid re-launch capability, could theoretically be used to quickly fill satellite gaps and maintain space system operations.

Currently, SpaceX has been tasked with most U.S. national security launch missions in 2026, including spy satellites, with related deployments continuing to advance.

The Economist states that the militarization of space is not solely an American initiative. The UK has expressed its intention to develop “counter-space capabilities” to attack or interfere with satellites, and France has previously cooperated with the U.S. on close-proximity operations, approaching a satellite believed to belong to Russia.

China’s satellite launch activities have grown eightfold since 2015, and recent space operations continue to attract Western attention. The article concludes by mentioning that there are suspicions that Russia is developing space-based nuclear weapons capable of destroying many satellites in low Earth orbit, which would clearly violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. This also makes 2026 a year when space rules may face significant challenges.

(Elon Musk confirms: SpaceX to go public as early as 2026, AI and space data centers will be key)

Three Major Space Concept Stocks to Watch

1. AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS): SpaceX Satellite Launch Partner

AST SpaceMobile experienced a turning point in 2025, with its stock price driven by successful satellite deployment and telecom collaborations, rising over 430% for the year, with a market cap surpassing $26 billion.

Financially, with the deployment of next-generation satellites, third-quarter revenue doubled to $14.7 million. Despite losses due to R&D and high launch costs, the company holds $1.2 billion in cash. In its core launch segment, ASTS heavily relies on Musk’s SpaceX as its launch partner, ensuring a high-frequency launch schedule of once every 1 to 2 months via Falcon 9 rockets, marking its transition from R&D to commercial scale expansion.

2. EchoStar (NASDAQ: SATS): SpaceX Spectrum Asset Partner

EchoStar saw a crucial turnaround in 2025, with its stock price rising about 650%, driven by successful debt restructuring and asset monetization. Third-quarter revenue reached $3.82 billion, and although 5G construction costs and customer churn pressures caused continued losses, its balance sheet has significantly improved.

Strategically, EchoStar has established deep commercial links with Musk’s SpaceX through its spectrum assets, reaching substantial agreements on spectrum sharing and space communication deployment, transforming from a traditional satellite operator into a core player integrating space and 5G.

(Note: Spectrum assets refer to the rights granted by the government to companies to use radio frequencies in specific areas and periods. They are scarce and valuable intangible assets supporting wireless services such as mobile communications and satellite communications. Due to limited resources and non-replicability, they are key core assets in the telecommunications and space communication industries.)

3. STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM, US ADR): Core Supplier of SpaceX Starlink

STMicroelectronics (STM) demonstrated strong industry resilience in 2025. Despite impacts from the cyclical downturn in automotive and industrial semiconductors, annual revenue declined to $11.75 billion, with stock performance fluctuating. However, the company established a dominant position in space communications.

As a key chip supplier for Musk’s SpaceX Starlink, STMicroelectronics reached a shipment milestone of 5 billion satellite antenna chips by the end of 2025, with CEO personally confirming a decade-long deep co-development partnership. As Starlink’s global user base surges and next-generation satellites are deployed, this solid long-term mass production contract has become a crucial pillar for STMicroelectronics to withstand cyclical fluctuations and shift toward high-margin satellite markets.

(AI models in space! NVIDIA and Starcloud team up to run H100 on orbit for LLM Gemma)

This article on the 2026 space race escalation and three Musk SpaceX space concept stocks first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.