SpaceX stock in focus as launch, Starlink business hit new milestones

SpaceX (SPCX) stock was in focus on Thursday after the company hit two major launch milestones, offering investors something positive to latch on to following a rough patch for the stock.

Early Thursday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 booster for a record-breaking 36th time, lifting off from Cape Canaveral, carrying 29 Starlink broadband satellites to low Earth orbit. 

The booster, designated B1067, first flew in June 2021 on a NASA cargo run and has since carried the Crew-3 and Crew-4 astronaut missions along with 24 batches of Starlink satellites. The overall reuse record belongs to NASA's space shuttle Discovery, which flew to orbit and back 39 times.

The launch coincided with data showing the Starlink business is outpacing its own record in 2025. SpaceX deployed 1,589 Starlink satellites in the first half of 2026, up from 1,489 at the same point last year, according to launch data compiled by astronomer Jonathan McDowell. 

The company deployed 3,180 Starlink satellites in all of 2025 and has launched more than 12,400 since the constellation began, with nearly 11,000 still operational and more than 10,700 currently active in orbit.

The operational milestones come as SpaceX stock tries to recover from a rough stretch. Though flat today, shares hit an all-time low of $145.20 on Wednesday before closing at $149.29, below the $150 market debut price, and have since slid, as the company's inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 (^NDX) failed to spark the index-tracking buying some investors expected. 

It was the 80th Falcon 9 mission of the year, with roughly 80% of SpaceX's 2026 flights devoted to expanding Starlink, already by far the largest satellite network ever assembled.

SpaceX's launch and operational records come as Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's rocket venture, reportedly raised $10 billion at a $130 billion valuation in its first outside fundraise. But Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket remains grounded after it exploded during a static engine test earlier this year, destroying the company's only launch pad — a reminder of how far ahead SpaceX's rockets and launch capabilities are at this moment.

On Wednesday afternoon, William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma boosted his outlook for SpaceX's rocket business given the Blue Origin fundraise: "When taking into account updated [Blue Origin] valuations, we now estimate that SpaceX's rocket launch business is worth $546 billion, up from our prior estimate of $300 billion," DiPalma wrote, maintaining the firm's Outperform rating on the stock.