Wins $1.6B Space Force Contract for 18 Falcon 9 Missions

SPCX closed at $112.59 on July 29, 2026, down 3.28% from the prior close of $116.41.

Executive Summary

SPCX extended its post-IPO slide on July 29, closing at $112.59 after a session that opened at $114.40 and briefly pushed as high as $117.59 before sellers took the stock back down to a $110.35 low. The move keeps the stock roughly 30% below its June 12 IPO-day close of $160.95 and about 17% below the $135.00 IPO offer price. Coverage of the day centered on the stock's approach to the August 6 insider lockup expiration, which multiple outlets flagged as a near-term overhang — Jim Cramer was reported cautioning investors not to add size before that date, and a Motley Fool piece noted the unlock is expected to release roughly a fifth of outstanding shares to the public float. Short-interest commentary also featured prominently, with Benzinga reporting that bears now hold roughly $26 billion in short positions against about 35% of the float. Not all the flow was bearish: Benzinga reported Ark Invest's Cathie Wood added $14.5 million of SpaceX shares on July 29 even as the stock fell, and separate coverage noted SpaceX was awarded a $1.6 billion U.S. Space Force contract for 18 Falcon 9 missions. A Motley Fool article also pointed to a successful Starship test flight during the period that did not translate into buying pressure, citing investor concern over AI-related capital spending.

News

1. Cathie Wood Keeps Buying the Dip on SpaceX, Adds $20 Million of TSMC as Chip Stocks Slide

Cathie Wood's Ark Invest bought $14.5 million of SpaceX and $20.1 million of TSMC Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (Benzinga, Jul 29, 11:07 PM ET)

2. 'SpaceX Awarded $1.6B Contract From U.S. Space Force For 18 Falcon 9 Missions That Will Launch Military Targeting Satellites' - Reuters

(Benzinga, Jul 29, 3:55 PM ET)

3. Even a Successful Starship Launch Wasn't Enough to Lift SpaceX Stock. Investors Are Still Worried About This 1 Thing

SpaceX's successful 13th Starship test flight failed to boost investor sentiment due to concerns over massive AI infrastructure spending. The company allocated 76% of its $10 billion Q1 capex to AI programs, with annual capex accelerating to $20.7 billion in 2025. Investors remain skeptical that these AI investments will generate profits, especially since SpaceX is not yet profitable and trades at a premium valuation (P/S ratio of 77 vs. tech sector average of 7). (The Motley Fool, Jul 29, 3:23 PM ET)

4. 'SpaceX looks to compete with the carriers' - Semafor Exclusive

(Benzinga, Jul 29, 2:56 PM ET)

5. Tesla Stock Suffered Its Worst Week Since 2022, Falling 18% as Investors Balked at Elon Musk's Robotaxi and AI Spending Plans

Tesla stock plummeted 18% in a single week following Q2 earnings, marking its worst week since 2022. Despite strong revenue exceeding $100 billion in trailing-12-month sales, investors were concerned about shrinking operating margins (down to 1.4%), negative free cash flow of $1.1 billion, and massive capital expenditure plans including $25 billion in capex for the year and plans to borrow up to $30 billion. The sell-off reflects investor skepticism about Musk's ambitious robotaxi and Optimus robot investments, which remain far from commercialization. (The Motley Fool, Jul 29, 2:05 PM ET)

6. SpaceXAI Announces Grok Voice Think Fast 2.0; Grok Voice Think Fast 2.0 Is Priced At $0.08 / Min Of Audio; On August 5, Grok-Voice-Latest Will Move From Grok-Voice-Think-Fast-1.0 To Grok-Voice-Think-Fast-2.0

(Benzinga, Jul 29, 1:53 PM ET)

7. QUICK SPARK: Google, Amazon, Nvidia Among 2026's Top 10 Most-Shorted Stocks

Investors are making bearish bets on hyperscalers and key chipmakers this year, pushing these stocks into the market’s most-shorted ranks. (Benzinga, Jul 29, 1:25 PM ET)

8. Nearly 1 Billion SpaceX Shares Unlock On Aug. 6. Here's What Retail Investors Should Do.

SpaceX stock has declined 13% since its IPO at $135 per share, now trading below $117. A major lockup period expiration on August 6 will release approximately 20% of outstanding shares to the public market, potentially quadrupling the float and creating selling pressure. Analysts warn this dilution could further pressure the stock price, though some believe recent declines may already reflect anticipated dilution. Investors should focus on long-term fundamentals rather than short-term float changes. (The Motley Fool, Jul 29, 12:32 PM ET)

Price Action

Metric	Value
Open	$114.40
High	$117.59
Low	$110.35
Close	$112.59
Change vs prior close	-3.28% ($116.41 → $112.59)
Volume	48,108,431
Average volume to date	73,704,853
Intraday range	$7.24
Close vs IPO offer ($135.00)	-16.60%
Close vs IPO close ($160.95)	-30.05%

SPCX opened at $114.40, roughly in line with the prior close, then rallied to an intraday high of $117.59 before reversing sharply and printing a low of $110.35. The close at $112.59 landed well below the midpoint of the day's $7.24 range, and volume of 48.1 million shares traded came in under the 73.7 million average volume to date and below the prior session's 81.8 million shares. The stock remains down 16.60% from the $135.00 IPO offer price and down 30.05% from its June 12 close of $160.95.

A lower-volume down day that reversed off the session high points to sellers controlling the tape into the close rather than a high-conviction breakdown.

Technicals

SPCX has traded for roughly seven weeks since its June 12 IPO. With only 33 daily closes on record, the 14-day RSI shown below should be read cautiously and the 20-day SMA is only just becoming available — the 50-day and 200-day moving averages are not yet computable and are not shown. Technical read here leans on price structure, candle shape, volume, and the real levels present in the data rather than long-lookback averages.

Trend

The daily close history shows a clear multi-week downtrend since the June 16 peak close of $201.80: closes have moved from the mid-$150s in late June to the $150s-$130s through mid-July and into the $110s-$120s range through late July. The 5-day SMA ($115.16) and 5-day EMA ($115.57) both sit above today's $112.59 close, and the 10-day SMA ($118.96) and 20-day SMA ($133.76) sit further above still, with the SMAs stacked in descending order from shortest to longest lookback — a structure consistent with a stock still in a downtrend rather than one that has stabilized.

Candle read

The July 29 candle shows a small negative body (-1.81) relative to a wide total range (7.24), with an upper wick of 3.19 that is larger than both the body and the lower wick (2.24). Close location of 0.31 means the close settled in the lower third of the day's range, just above the $110.35 low. Together this reads as a wide-range rejection day: price pushed up toward $117.59 intraday, was sold, and settled near the bottom of the range rather than the top — a pattern that favors sellers into the close.

Support levels

• $110.35 — today's intraday low
• $110.00 — round-number level just below today's low
• $100.00 — next round-number level below current price

Resistance levels

• $116.41 — prior close
• $117.59 — today's intraday high
• $118.96 — 10-day SMA
• $120.00 — round-number level above current price
• $133.76 — 20-day SMA, well above current price

Momentum interpretation

RSI-14 stands at 34.58, in territory that leans toward oversold but has not reached the conventional 30 threshold. Combined with price trading below the 5, 10, and 20-day SMAs, momentum currently favors continuation of the downtrend rather than a confirmed reversal.

Bull scenario: a close back above the $116.41 prior close and the $117.59 intraday high, reclaiming the 5-day SMA/EMA cluster near $115, would be the first sign of buyers regaining short-term control. A subsequent move through the 10-day SMA near $118.96 would extend that case toward the 20-day SMA at $133.76.

Bear scenario: a break of the $110.35 intraday low and the $110.00 round number would open a path toward the $100.00 level, with no other data-derived support between those points on the current close history.

Neutral scenario: continued trading between roughly $110 and $117 would leave the stock range-bound below its declining short-term averages without resolving the broader downtrend.

Trading Takeaway

SPCX's July 29 session was a lower-volume down day with an intraday rejection off a $117.59 high, closing near the low of a wide range and extending the stock's decline since its June IPO. Price remains below its 5, 10, and 20-day SMAs, and RSI-14 at 34.58 sits closer to oversold than overbought without confirming a reversal. Coverage of the day centered on the approaching August 6 lockup expiration and elevated short interest, factors that sit alongside the technical picture heading into the next session. Key levels to watch: support at $110.35 (today's low) and $110.00 (round number), resistance at $116.41 (prior close) and $117.59 (today's high).

Sources

1. Cathie Wood Keeps Buying the Dip on SpaceX, Adds $20 Million of TSMC as Chip Stocks Slide — Benzinga
2. 'SpaceX Awarded $1.6B Contract From U.S. Space Force For 18 Falcon 9 Missions That Will Launch Military Targeting Satellites' - Reuters — Benzinga
3. Even a Successful Starship Launch Wasn't Enough to Lift SpaceX Stock. Investors Are Still Worried About This 1 Thing — The Motley Fool
4. 'SpaceX looks to compete with the carriers' - Semafor Exclusive — Benzinga
5. Tesla Stock Suffered Its Worst Week Since 2022, Falling 18% as Investors Balked at Elon Musk's Robotaxi and AI Spending Plans — The Motley Fool
6. SpaceXAI Announces Grok Voice Think Fast 2.0 — Benzinga
7. QUICK SPARK: Google, Amazon, Nvidia Among 2026's Top 10 Most-Shorted Stocks — Benzinga
8. Nearly 1 Billion SpaceX Shares Unlock On Aug. 6. Here's What Retail Investors Should Do. — The Motley Fool
9. Robinhood Earnings Prediction Market Preview: What Will Vlad Tenev Say? — Benzinga
10. SpaceX Stock Now Has $26 Billion in Short Bets — 35% of its Entire Float — Benzinga
11. 'Elon Musk Settles Long-Running Legal Battle With X Advertisers' - Financial Times — Benzinga
12. QUICK SPARK: Tesla Shorts Are Up $9.1 Billion This Year — And SpaceX Isn't Far Behind — Benzinga
13. SpaceX, Blue Origin Could Get Faster Launch Approvals Under FAA's Sweeping Proposal — Benzinga
14. Jim Cramer Remains Bullish on SpaceX but Begs Investors Not to Go Big Before the Aug. 6 Lockup Expiration: Here's Why — Benzinga
15. SpaceX Has Lost Over $1 Trillion in Value Since Its IPO. Here's What Changed. — The Motley Fool
16. Prediction: 3 Unstoppable Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks That Will Join the $2 Trillion Club by 2027 (Hint: Not SpaceX) — The Motley Fool
17. "Hope Is Not an Investment Strategy," Says the Lone Wall Street Analyst Who Hasn't Been Wrong About SpaceX — The Motley Fool
18. Peter Schiff Says the AI Bubble Has 'a Lot More Air' Left to Come Out Amid SPCX Decline — Benzinga
19. SpaceX Stock Reaches All-Time Low. Here's the Case for Buying Before Aug. 4 Earnings. — The Motley Fool
20. Bernie Sanders Asks Elon Musk to Back a 5% Wealth Tax if He Truly Believes 'Money Won't Matter' in 2036 — Benzinga
21. Betting Against Elon Musk's SpaceX Has Cleared More Than $7 Billion, Says Research Firm — Benzinga
22. Gary Black Warns Tesla Stock Could Break Below $300, SpaceX Below $100 As AI Valuations Come Under Pressure — Benzinga
23. Alpaca Markets (SIP) — market data

Disclaimer

This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Market data and technical readings are subject to revision and delay. Verify all figures independently before making any financial decision. SPCX has a limited trading history, and technical indicators that rely on longer lookback periods are not yet fully meaningful.