Smarter ways to play the space race and the upcoming market revival
If paying a massive premium for a black box does not appeal to you, I have good news. There are listed proxies that offer adjacent exposure without the sheer absurdity of the DXYZ premium.
Let us start with the bankers.
Goldman Sachs is a name that commands attention on any trading floor. Rather than guessing which private company will succeed, you could simply back the institution that profits from bringing them all to the public market. We are staring down an anticipated wave of listings in the coming years. If you want a pragmatic strategy for Capitalizing on the IPO Boom, looking at the primary underwriters makes an awful lot of sense.
Investment bankers do not build rockets. They do not care about the mechanics of escaping Earth's gravity. They care about fees. When a private company finally decides to list on an exchange, the banks orchestrate the parade and take a massive cut for their trouble. A busy calendar in 2026 could translate into colossal advisory revenues. Crucially, this strategy offers durability. Even if the rocket sector stalls, Goldman benefits from the broader revival of capital markets. You are not betting on a single rocket launch, but rather on the eternal truth that bankers always get paid.
Then, we have the purists.
Rocket Lab offers the most direct exposure to the actual mechanics of space. They are a publicly traded entity with the ticker RKLB. They build rockets, they win commercial contracts, and they generate real revenue. Unlike funds that merely hold shares in the hopes of a buyout, Rocket Lab is fundamentally tied to the industrial commercialisation of space.
A few years ago, the launch market was dominated by massive, expensive government projects. Then, commercial companies started throwing small satellites into orbit like confetti. Rocket Lab positioned itself perfectly for this shift. Their trajectory is entirely independent of Elon Musk. They compete in the small launch market and are expanding into satellite infrastructure. To me, this is the most operationally grounded play available.
It carries immense risks, of course. Their success depends on successful launches and contract wins, which means an explosive failure on the launchpad could severely dent the share price. Space is notoriously unforgiving. However, you are paying for a functioning, operating business, not an artificial premium based on hype.
