SA Asks: What are the best satellite stocks, ETFs right now?

What are the most attractive satellite stocks and ETFs right now for investors?

We asked Seeking Alpha analysts Michael Del Monte, Julia Ostian, Dhierin Bechai and Dr. Christopher Davis of Quad 7 Capital for their picks.

Michael Del Monte: My top satellite company is LUNR. Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) had a setback at the beginning of 2025 following a botched rover landing on the moon; however, the organization has an immense opportunity with its satellite technology, both as a lunar communications constellation and potentially for national defense. Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) could be in line to pick up contract work for the Golden Dome.

Julia Ostian: If you’re more into stability and want long-term exposure to something serious, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is building Project Kuiper. It’s still early, but they’ve already launched the first batch of satellites, and the project deserves attention from investors.

For conservative investors, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT). They’re involved in both military drones and satellite systems, and while it’s not a pure play in either area, it gives you steady defense exposure and a solid dividend.

One of the most established players is Iridium (NASDAQ:IRDM). They’re already profitable, and their tech is used in aviation, maritime and defense.

If you’re looking for something more speculative, Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) is doing satellite launches, and they’re expanding fast. I would take it over other risky tickers like Globalstar (NASDAQ:GSAT) or AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS). There’s also the Procure Space ETF (NASDAQ:UFO), which gives you broad exposure to the space and satellite sector. It’s not very liquid, and some of the holdings feel a bit random, but if you want a satellite exposure, it works.

Dhierin Bechai: In the satellite space, I believe Iridium (NASDAQ:IRDM) is attractive among the more traditional broadband satellite operators while Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) is the preferred play on satellite imagery constellations.

Satellogic (NASDAQ:SATL), as an emerging player, is also an interesting but speculative opportunity offering imaging solutions that come at a lower cost compared to Planet Labs (NYSE:PL). The company has the capacity to significantly increase its revenues, and its revenue growth potential primarily hinges on boarding new customers and not so much on adding new satellites to the network.

In the satellite space, we remain mindful of the competitive pressure from SpaceX (SPACE) and the inflated costs for satellite production due to higher raw material costs and labor. Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) as a more traditional broadband satellite operator would also come to mind for investment, but it has had substantially more challenges to remain profitable compared to Iridium (NASDAQ:IRDM).

Dr. Christopher Davis: The satellite space is heavily competitive and arguably saturated. We would avoid single stock risk in this space. It is highly speculative. We like getting exposure to the space, which comes with some rocket-related exposure, via the Procure Space ETF (NASDAQ:UFO). Not only is it aptly named, it gives exposure to space exploration and satellite companies.

Notable satellite companies in the ETF are Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) and Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM), as well as older satellite application companies like SiriusXM (SIRI) and Garmin (GRMN). We prefer investors consider spreading their risk via an ETF in this space. The ETF has a moderate expense ratio of 0.97% and pays varying dividends. We think you can invest at this level with adds in $1 drops from the current level.

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