3 Space ETFs With Triple-Digit Upside Potential Once SpaceX Goes Public

SpaceX is the most anticipated market debut of the decade, and space ETFs like the Procure Space ETF (NASDAQ:UFO), ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKX), and State Street SPDR S&P Kensho Final Frontiers ETF (NYSEARCA:ROKT) will be the biggest beneficiaries. It is targeting a mid-to-late 2026 IPO that could value the company at $1.5 trillion. It would nearly double its current $800 billion private valuation and raise over $30 billion in fresh capital.

The market is under-appreciating how big the space industry can be, especially if SpaceX’s IPO sets a new benchmark for space stocks to be valued against.

Space ETFs have been soaring over the past year, but they still offer a great entry point ahead of the SpaceX IPO. I believe many of them retain triple-digit upside as both private companies and the government retain high levels of spending.

2019 saw 102 orbital launches in total, with 2025 seeing 342 orbital launches. This is twice as many launches as in 1967, the peak of the space race. Once space telecommunications becomes widely available and the “Golden Dome” initiative starts coming together, you’ll likely see thousands of launches per year.

Here are three ETFs to look into if you want to get in ahead of the rest of the market.

Procure Space ETF (UFO)

The UFO ETF is the best way to get pure-play exposure to space stocks, since it does not dilute that exposure much with military stocks. Most other space ETFs involve aerospace and other “hybrid” companies that are loosely involved in space. This one does not do that.

UFO has Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) as the largest holding with a 6.15% weighting, followed by Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) and AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS). Almost all its holdings have significant space exposure.

The drawback is that the expense ratio is at 0.94%, or $94 per $10,000. That’s more on the expensive end, but it’s not a dealbreaker due to how well UFO can perform.

ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF (ARKX)

ARKX is an actively managed fund from ARK, the issuer ARK Invest, run by Cathie Wood. Wood is one of the most well-known growth investors, and while her picks underperformed during the tech selloff, her space picks have done exceedingly well.

This ETF is more concentrated and has some aerospace and semiconductor exposure. It doesn’t focus solely on pure-play space picks, though RKLB is the biggest holding at 9.27%, followed by L3Harris (NYSE:LHX) and Kratos (NASDAQ:KTOS) at 8.64% and 8.61%, respectively.

ARKX is up 62% over the past year and can go up a lot more. It has exposure to not just space, but also the drone manufacturing and aviation industries. Those can dilute your gains if the space sector outperforms them, but they’re great additions if you want to play things more conservatively.

ARKX’s expense ratio is 0.75%, or $75 per $10,000.

State Street SPDR S&P Kensho Final Frontiers ETF (ROKT)

ROKT brings a very interesting combination to the table: space + deep sea exploration. Both have very high growth potential and can give you complementary gains over the coming years. Deep-sea exploration is another area that the market is underestimating.

This is because the Trump administration has aggressively moved to bypass international regulations. President Trump signed the “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources” order, directing federal agencies to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles for deep-sea mining. In a major deregulation move finalized just days ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) consolidated the two separate permits required for “exploration” and “commercial recovery” into a single simultaneous review. There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes, but all you need to know is that having deep-sea stocks along with space stocks is more of a pro than a con.

ROKT ETF has Planet Labs as its largest pick with 5.77% weighting, but it also has multiple other military aerospace and drone stocks, along with deep-sea picks, of course.

The expense ratio is the lowest among all three at 0.45%, or $45 per $10,000. ROKT is up 75% in the past year.