NASA-Backed Space Stock Surges 125% After IPO--With Lockheed and Palantir Along for the Ride
Investors just got a new ticket to space. Voyager (NYSE:VOYG), a space and defense tech firm founded in 2019, has officially hit the public markets with some serious momentum behind it, with the share price jump 120% on the first day of trading. The company's backlog stood at $179.2 million as of March 31. That includes a $217.5 million contract from NASA to build Starlabits potential successor to the ISSalongside Airbus, Mitsubishi, and Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR). Voyager was also tapped by Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) to provide propulsion and optical guidance systems for U.S. missile defense. These aren't vanity deals. They're core infrastructure plays that could become critical under the Trump administration's proposed $175 billion Golden Dome missile shield.
Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Signs with LMT.
The listing follows a strong run from Karman (NYSE:KRMN), another space-defense player that doubled post-IPO. Lukas Muehlbauer at IPOX said high barriers to entry may limit IPO candidates, but strong government backing and surging defense budgets are pulling more seasoned players into the market. Voyager looks like one of them. Asset managers like Janus Henderson and Wellington Management have shown interest in buying up to $60 million worth of shares. Meanwhile, Rob Desborough of Seraphim Space called the IPO a key moment that shows the sector is maturingand possibly ready for broader institutional capital.
The takeaway? Between NASA contracts, missile defense exposure, and major investor interest, Voyager's public debut could be more than just a one-off. As geopolitical risks rise and governments pour money into aerospace, firms like Voyager may find themselves sitting on long-duration tailwinds. It's early, and execution still mattersbut for investors looking beyond Earth, this could be a name worth tracking.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
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