As Starlink Passes 11,000 Satellites, These 5 Stocks Will Feel It First

With SpaceX's Starlink constellation surpassing 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, five U.S. stocks find themselves directly affected by the Pentagon's efforts to reduce reliance on a single vendor. The Department of Defense allocates $60 million to fund L3Harris Technologies (LHX) and VSAT, aiming to break SpaceX's dominance in orbital services.

LHX, however, trades 23% below its $342 analyst target. Rocket Lab's recent $8 billion acquisition of Iridium creates a vertically integrated alternative with 66 satellites and $870 million in annual revenue. Notably, LHX's stock has declined 8.7% year-to-date, contrasting with the performance of satellite peers. The main contenders in this space race include LHX, AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), Rocket Lab (RKLB), Viasat (VSAT), and other names with ties to the Space Data Network (SDN) and missile tracking.