Space Exploration Technologies Corp. shares advanced about 3.5% in morning trading to $145.62, supported by a combination of bullish analyst commentary and a near-term operational filing that together renewed investor interest in the company’s expanding AI and launch businesses.
Two analyst developments that began to affect the stock on Wednesday carried into the following trading session. Bernstein SocGen reiterated an Outperform rating and set a $248 price target, forecasting that SpaceX’s AI-related revenue could climb from roughly $24.6 billion in 2026 to more than $115 billion in 2027, and that overall revenue for the company could reach $150 billion in 2027. In a separate move, Oppenheimer increased its price target to $280 from $250, highlighting SpaceX’s vertically integrated AI platform as a competitive advantage - including data infrastructure, GPU access through its relationship with NVIDIA, and the recently completed Cursor acquisition - developments the firm said strengthen the Grok AI ecosystem.
Alongside the analyst commentary, SpaceX submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission targeting September 15 for Starship Flight 14. That flight is expected to be the vehicle’s first fully orbital mission and would deploy new high-capacity Starlink V3 satellites if successful. Investors view a completed orbital Starship flight as significant because it would demonstrate progress toward the company’s planned Louisiana spacebase operating model, which the company intends to support more than 30 Starship missions per day at full scale.
The macro market environment provided additional support for risk-oriented assets. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, the Dow Jones gained 0.7%, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.9%, a tone that has tended to benefit high-growth technology and aerospace names. SpaceX’s peers in the space and AI infrastructure segments also saw strength amid the same market tailwinds.
Combined, the analyst endorsements around AI monetization, the imminent Starship orbital test filing, and a risk-on market tone were enough to push the stock from its prior session level of $140.71 to an intraday high of $146.06 during today’s trading.
Context and implications
The analyst price targets and revenue projections reflect a view of substantial near-term scaling of SpaceX’s AI business, driven by an integrated technology stack and partnerships that include GPU access. The scheduled FCC filing for Starship Flight 14 signals a specific near-term operational milestone tied to Starlink satellite deployment and to broader ambitions for high-cadence launches from a dedicated launch site.
For investors, the interplay of concrete analyst forecasts and a tangible operational timeline created a clear, short-term rationale for renewed appetite in the stock. Market breadth in major indexes provided a favorable backdrop for this type of momentum in growth-oriented aerospace and AI infrastructure equities.
Key metrics cited
- SpaceX intraday price: $145.62 in morning trading, up roughly 3.5%
- Prior session level: $140.71; intraday high today: $146.06
- Bernstein SocGen price target: $248 with an Outperform rating
- Bernstein SocGen projection: AI-related revenue roughly $24.6 billion in 2026 rising to more than $115 billion in 2027; overall revenue potentially $150 billion in 2027
- Oppenheimer price target: raised to $280 from $250
- Starship Flight 14 FCC filing: targeted date September 15; expected to be first fully orbital mission and to carry Starlink V3 satellites
- Major indexes: S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow Jones +0.7%, Nasdaq +0.9%