Jun 13, 2026
Elon Musk’s SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq on June 12. The stock jumped 19% after the biggest initial public offering ever, closing at around $161 and valuing the company at $2.1 trillion. And it kept rallying in extended trading.
The rocket company has been a trailblazer in the industry and its record-breaking IPO has triggered interest in space stocks. But for some space nerds, interest in the industry had them betting on exploration before the SpaceX hype — and it’s made some of them millionaires.
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Jacob Keeton, 35, is one of them. The Oregon man told MarketWatch he quit his semiconductor-engineering job last year and embarked on a 12,000-mile-long road trip across the country. The destination and reason for his journey? To visit a small stretch of land in Virginia that’s home to launch pads for Rocket Lab, an aerospace company.
Keeton currently holds around 11,000 shares of Rocket Lab and has realized over $3 million in gains.
“I’ve been a sci-fi nerd and space fan my whole life,” Keeton told MarketWatch. “I haven’t got to visit the other facilities yet, but they’re all marked on my Google Maps. I’ve searched imagery of every kind from every facility. I’ve looked up tax records for anything that might have some nugget of information.”
The Star Trek fan says he is “semi-retired,” and spends 40 hours a week monitoring his investment and the space industry in general.
And he’s not alone. Through X, Keeton met two other Rocket Lab investors, 28-year-old Brett Krieger and a third person known anonymously as “Space Investor.” The trio hosts a weekly live broadcast on X where they discuss their investments. Both Krieger and “Space Investor” have seen their portfolios rise to millions over the past two years.
The rise of the space industry
Rocket Lab was founded in 2006, and despite not yet turning a profit, shares in the company have skyrocketed and its market valuation is around $59 billion as of June 13.
The company is part of a growing interest in space exploration, as more private and public companies enter the race. The global space economy reached $626 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $1.01 trillion by 2034, according to Novaspace’s Space Economy Report.
And it’s clear the most important company in the space market is currently SpaceX. Musk’s company dominates commercial launch services and has been rapidly growing its Starlink satellite network. Some critics have argued the company is overvalued. There is also concern its record-breaking public listing could push other smaller companies, like Rocket Lab, out of the[a] competition.
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“Everyone is wondering if it’s going to suck up liquidity in the field or if it’s going to draw more eyes and liquidity,” Keeton told MarketWatch. “I personally think it’s going to be a bit of both.”
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The risk of investing in emerging markets
Despite the concerns, the trio is still invested in the industry.
“Space Investor,” says risky investments and borrowing nearly left him bankrupt during the financial crisis, but the public debut of space-tourism company Virgin Galactic influenced him to create a “YOLO,” account. The acronym stands for “you only live once.” In this, he set aside a few thousand dollars for investments. He told MarketWatch he’s now sold half of his portfolio and used the money to pay off his mortgage, car loan and other debts.
In the case of this space-driven trio, investing in smaller companies and emerging markets can offer big rewards. But it also comes with risks.
If you plan on investing in more volatile stocks, consider first determining your risk tolerance. How comfortable are you with possibly losing money or riding through fluctuations? A common rule of thumb is to only invest what you can afford to lose. Allocating a certain amount of money, like “Space Investor” did, can allow you to make riskier moves while limiting your exposure.
It’s also important to strike a balance. No stock market investment is truly risk-free, but there are ways to minimize your risks. Investing in exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, offers you a basket of investments that you can buy instead of purchasing a single stock. The fund means your investment is spread across many companies, giving you a more diversified portfolio.
Mixing safer and riskier investments can help strike a balance in your budget and allow you to invest in your interests without worrying too much about jeopardizing your financial future.
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Rinna Diamantakos is an assigning editor at Moneywise.com. A versatile journalist, she has experience as a writer, editor and producer. Her work has focused on politics, business and financial news.
