Starship Reaches Orbit, Deploys 26 Starlink Satellites as Shares Slip

SPCX closed at $145.49 on Monday, down 2.14% from the prior close of $148.68 and 7.77% above the $135.00 IPO offer price.

Executive Summary

SPCX opened at $148.49, reached a high of $150.80 in the morning, and sold off to close at $145.49, within $0.13 of the session low of $145.36. The stock finished near its lows despite a busy news day. Benzinga headlines reported that Starship reached orbit for the first time despite an engine failure, then deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites and ended the mission earlier than planned. One Benzinga headline said the stock was trading higher in the morning while the broader tech sector sold off. That gain did not hold into the close.

Volume was 67.85 million shares, up from 54.63 million the prior session but only 0.62 times the average of 90.43 million since the IPO. The stock fell on a milestone launch day with below-average participation. Other headlines included a Deutsche Bank note reiterating a Buy rating on SpaceX, a Benzinga piece on an investor backing the stock after its post-IPO slump, and reports of Elon Musk attending a government AI website event. This report takes no position on any of these items.

News

1. SpaceXAI Launches Team Bots For Collaborative AI Workflows; Team Bots Available In Public Beta For Teams And Enterprise Plans

(Benzinga, Sep 28, 3:53 PM ET)

2. President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary Of State Marco Rubio, Huang And SpaceX And Tesla Executive Elon Musk Will Attend Event For America.gov, A New AI-Powered Government Website Intended To Consolidate Services And Information From Across Agencies’ Websites

(Benzinga, Sep 28, 3:38 PM ET)

3. Deutsche Bank Reiterates Buy on SpaceX, Maintains $235 Price Target

(Benzinga, Sep 28, 12:51 PM ET)

4. SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time Despite Engine Failure

SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time despite an engine failure, then deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. (Benzinga, Sep 28, 10:48 AM ET)

5. SpaceX Dip Buyer Bets Starship Turns Starlink Into a Bigger Cash Cow

Investor Jeff Kilburg backs SpaceX after its IPO slump, citing Starlink’s launch advantages and Starship’s potential to expand the business. (Benzinga, Sep 28, 10:46 AM ET)

6. SpaceX Chooses To End Starship's First Orbital Mission Hours Earlier Than Planned; All 26 V3 Starlink Satellites Deployed And Have Made Contact; To De-Orbit In ~40 Minutes

(Benzinga, Sep 28, 10:19 AM ET)

7. Why Is SpaceX Stock Gaining Monday?

SpaceX (SPCX) stock trades higher, bucking a broader market tech selloff as Starship Flight 14 targets commercial revenue. (Benzinga, Sep 28, 9:46 AM ET)

8. SpaceX Starship Deploys First Of Twenty-Six Starlink Satellites; Each To Be Deployed Every Minute

(Benzinga, Sep 28, 9:25 AM ET)

Price Action

Metric	Value
Open	$148.49
High	$150.80
Low	$145.36
Close	$145.49
Change vs prior close	-2.14% (prior close $148.68)
Volume	67,851,424
Intraday range	$5.44
Close vs IPO	+7.77% vs the $135.00 offer price; -9.60% vs the $160.95 first-day close

The session started with a small dip from the prior close, pushed to $150.80, and then faded steadily. The high sits $2.31 above the open, and the close landed at the bottom of the range. Sellers controlled the last part of the session.

The close of $145.49 is the lowest since September 15, when the stock closed at $143.49. It is still well above the July lows near $108 and above the $135.00 offer price.

Takeaway: SPCX gave back an early launch-day bid and closed near the low on below-average volume, its weakest close in about two weeks.

Technicals

SPCX has only a few months of trading history. The 200-day moving average is not available. The 14-day RSI and the 20-day and 50-day averages are computed from a short history and should be read with caution. The analysis below leans on price structure, candle shape, volume, and real price levels.

Trend

The recent structure is a range. Since early September, closes have mostly held between about $140.71 and $154.81. The 5-day SMA is $149.06, the 10-day SMA is $149.90, and the 20-day SMA is $148.60. Today's close is below all three, so short-term momentum has tilted lower. The 5-day EMA is $148.25, also above the close. The 14-day RSI is 49.4, which is neutral and shows no stretched condition in either direction.

The 50-day SMA is $136.35, about $9 below the close. The stock has recovered from the July and early August lows around $108, and the longer view is still above that level. The multi-month picture also includes the gap below the June peak close of $201.80.

Candle read

The candle has a body of -$3.00, from the $148.49 open to the $145.49 close. The upper wick is $2.31, showing that the morning push toward $150.80 was rejected. The lower wick is only $0.13, so buyers had little presence at the low. The close location is 0.02 on a 0 to 1 scale, meaning the close sat almost exactly at the bottom of the $5.44 range. This is a bearish candle with a close at the lows and no meaningful recovery late in the session.

Support levels

• $145.36, the session low. A move below it would mean the stock is trading under Monday's full range.
• $143.49, the September 15 close and the lowest close since early September.
• $140.71, the September 2 close, the bottom of the recent range.
• $136.35, the 50-day SMA, and $135.00, the IPO offer price. These sit close together and form a wider support zone.

Resistance levels

• $148.68, the prior close, and the $148.49 open. Both are just above the current price.
• $149.06 and $149.90, the 5-day and 10-day SMAs, which cluster near $150.
• $150.80, the session high.
• $154.81, the September 17 close and the top of the recent closing range, with $154.72 from September 22 just below it.

Momentum interpretation

Bull scenario: A recovery through $148.68 and then the $149.06 to $150.80 cluster would erase Monday's decline and return the stock to the middle of its range. Follow-through toward $154.72 to $154.81 would require volume closer to the post-IPO average.

Bear scenario: A close below $145.36 would put the stock under Monday's entire range. The next levels to watch are $143.49 and $140.71. Selling on rising volume would make that scenario more credible.

Neutral scenario: Trading between $145.36 and $148.68 would keep the stock inside the recent range, with the 14-day RSI near 49.4 and no directional signal. Volume at 0.62 times average suggests that participation is still light.

Trading Takeaway

Monday's headline flow was heavy, but the price reaction was weak. The stock faded from $150.80 to a close at the low on volume below the post-IPO average. The close sits below the 5-day, 10-day, and 20-day averages, while the 50-day average and the IPO offer price sit well below it.

For the next session, the levels to watch are $145.36 on the downside, then $143.49. On the upside, the first test is $148.68 to $150.80, where the prior close, the short-term averages, and the session high all sit. A lot of headline-driven volatility is possible in a stock this new, so these levels are reference points and not forecasts.

Sources

1. Benzinga, SpaceXAI Launches Team Bots For Collaborative AI Workflows: https://www.benzinga.com/news/26/09/62034979/spacexai-launches-team-bots-collaborative-ai-workflows-team-bots-available-public-beta-teams-and-ent
2. Benzinga, Event for America.gov with President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, Huang, and Elon Musk: https://www.benzinga.com/news/26/09/62034646/president-trump-vice-president-jd-vance-secretary-state-marco-rubio-huang-and-spacex-and-tesla-execu
3. Benzinga, Deutsche Bank Reiterates Buy on SpaceX, Maintains $235 Price Target: https://www.benzinga.com/news/26/09/62030314/deutsche-bank-reiterates-buy-spacex-maintains-235-price-target
4. Benzinga, SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time Despite Engine Failure: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/prediction-markets/26/09/62025303/spacex-starship-reaches-orbit-first-time
5. Benzinga, SpaceX Dip Buyer Bets Starship Turns Starlink Into a Bigger Cash Cow: https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/movers/26/09/62025236/spacex-dip-buyer-bets-starship-turns-starlink-into-a-bigger-cash-cow
6. Benzinga, SPCX quote page with live Starship mission updates: https://www.benzinga.com/quote/SPCX
7. Benzinga, Why Is SpaceX Stock Gaining Monday?: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/09/62022124/why-is-spacex-stock-gaining-monday
8. Benzinga, SpaceX's Starship Lifts Off From Texas On Debut Orbital Mission: https://www.benzinga.com/news/26/09/62020547/spacexs-starship-lifts-off-from-texas-on-debut-orbital-mission-carrying-its-first-batch-of-operational-starlink-satellites-starship-will-not-go-to-orbit-after-one-engine-fails-in-space-spacex-for
9. Benzinga, Sidus Space LizzieSat-4 and LizzieSat-5 on SpaceX Bandwagon-6: https://www.benzinga.com/news/26/09/62019269/sidus-space-announces-lizziesat-4-and-lizziesat-5-are-currently-aligned-launch-spacex-bandwagon-6-ri
10. The Motley Fool, 3 ETFs That Could Include Anthropic After Its IPO in October: https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/09/28/3-etfs-could-include-anthropic-after-october-ipo/?source=iedfolrf0000001
11. Benzinga, Nvidia's $5.4 Trillion Market Cap 'Seems Crazy' Next to $3.5 Trillion Russell 2000 Total: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/26/09/62016564/nvidias-5-4-trillion-market-cap-seems-crazy-next-to-3-5-trillion-russell-2000-total-says-charlie-bilello
12. Benzinga, Retail Investors 'Locking in Gains in Tech': https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/sector-etfs/26/09/62015268/semiconductor-etfs-worst-outflows-retail-investors-lock-in-tech-gains
13. Benzinga, Coinbase CEO Says AI Agents Could Break Corporate Software Monopolies From Within: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/09/62014853/coinbase-ceo-says-ai-agents-could-break-corporate-software-monopolies-from-within-most-companies-would-move-faster
14. Benzinga, Elon Musk Says Starship Is Just '2 to 3 Years Away' From Hourly Flights: https://www.benzinga.com/news/space/26/09/62014364/elon-musk-says-starship-is-just-2-to-3-years-away-from-hourly-flights-reaffirms-sept-28-launch-for-first-orbital-attempt
15. Benzinga, Tesla Roadster to Have LiDAR? New Patent Details Active Aero System: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/09/62013919/tesla-roadster-to-have-lidar-new-patent-details-active-aero-system-ahead-of-oct-1-debut
16. Benzinga, Elon Musk Says SpaceX's Orbital Compute Will be 'Way Better' Than Analysts' Predictions by 2028: https://www.benzinga.com/news/space/26/09/62013611/elon-musk-says-spacexs-orbital-compute-will-be-way-better-than-analysts-predictions-by-2028-starlink-could-become-earths-de-facto
17. Benzinga, Elon Musk Agrees 'for Now' With AI Chart Ranking Grok Behind Claude, GPT-6 Models: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/09/62013572/elon-musk-ai-ranking-chart-grok-anthropic-openai-gemini
18. Benzinga, Elon Musk Amplifies Privacy Concerns Over Meta's Muse: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/09/62013450/elon-musk-meta-muse-privacy-private-messages-ai-agent
19. Alpaca Markets (SIP) — market data

Disclaimer

This report is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Market data and news are drawn from third-party sources and may contain errors or delays. Verify all figures independently before making any financial decision.