Searches for "nasa etf" are up 250% over the past 30 days. "Space etf" is up 60%. "Nasa etf stock," "nasa etf holdings," and "nasa etf share price" are all breakout queries — meaning they went from near-zero search volume to measurable traffic in a matter of weeks. In the rising searches category, "spacex ipo" is up 450% in the same window.
Those two data points belong together. The retail investor looking for a space ETF in June 2026 is not primarily interested in satellite communication infrastructure. They want SpaceX. And SpaceX is not in any ETF.
The SpaceX Problem
SpaceX is private. It has been private for its entire existence, and Elon Musk has repeatedly said it will stay that way for the foreseeable future. The company reportedly had a valuation exceeding $350 billion as of late 2024, making it one of the most valuable private companies in the world, and one of the few that generates real revenue at that scale: Starlink alone is on a trajectory toward several billion dollars in annual revenue.
Every time SpaceX makes news — a Starship test, a Starlink expansion announcement, a government contract — retail investors look for a way in. The search spike you see in the trends data is that reflex. People type "spacex etf" or "nasa etf" or "space etf" hoping to find a fund that holds SpaceX. None of them do.
No ETF holds SpaceX. It is a private company. The space ETFs that exist hold publicly traded space companies, most of which are considerably smaller, less profitable, and less dominant than SpaceX. Buying a space ETF is not a SpaceX proxy.
What Space ETFs Actually Exist
Three funds dominate the space ETF category. None are large by ETF standards, none are cheap, and all three define "space" differently.
NASA — Procure Space ETF
The ticker is literally NASA, which is part of why it keeps showing up in search results for people who typed "nasa etf" and hit enter. The Procure Space ETF tracks the S-Network Space Index, which holds roughly 30 companies that derive a significant portion of revenue from space-related activities: satellite operators, rocket manufacturers, space technology providers, and defense contractors with space divisions. The fund launched in 2019 and charges 0.75% — expensive by any modern ETF standard. AUM is approximately $100 million, which means it is a small, thinly traded fund despite the name recognition its ticker generates.
Top holdings include companies like Trimble (GPS and precision agriculture), Maxar Technologies (satellite imagery), and various aerospace contractors. The portfolio is more "companies that use space" than "pure space exploration." There is no SpaceX. There is no Rocket Lab. The mandate requires publicly traded companies, and the most interesting names in space right now are private.
ROKT — SPDR S&P Kensho Final Frontiers ETF
State Street's ROKT tracks the S&P Kensho Final Frontiers Index, built by Kensho's AI-driven classification system. It holds roughly 25 companies in two categories: space and deep ocean exploration. The deep ocean bucket is an odd addition — it includes subsea cable infrastructure companies alongside the space names. The fund launched in 2018 and charges 0.45%, cheaper than NASA but still expensive. AUM sits around $300 million, making it the largest of the three by assets.
The Kensho methodology has a different result than NASA's index. ROKT includes some names that NASA excludes and vice versa. Neither index captures SpaceX, Rocket Lab (RKLB is public and notable for its absence), or Blue Origin (private). The search term "space etf" mostly leads people to these two funds, and both leave them holding a very different portfolio than they likely imagined.
ARKX — ARK Space Exploration and Innovation ETF
Cathie Wood's ARKX is the most aggressive interpretation of "space ETF." ARK's active management approach has led to a portfolio that includes 3D printing companies, autonomous vehicle infrastructure, and drone manufacturers alongside the actual space names. ARK argues these are enabling technologies for space exploration. The fund holds roughly 28 companies at 0.75%, and AUM has declined significantly from its peak as ARK's flagship strategies have underperformed over the 2022-2024 period.
ARKX is the least pure-space option of the three. An investor expecting concentrated rocket and satellite exposure will find a broader innovation basket with space as one of several themes. Rocket Lab is a larger position in ARKX than in NASA or ROKT, which is the one concrete advantage for investors who specifically want RKLB exposure through a fund.
The Numbers
| NASA | ROKT | ARKX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Procure Space ETF | SPDR S&P Kensho Final Frontiers | ARK Space Exploration ETF |
| Expense ratio | 0.75% | 0.45% | 0.75% |
| AUM | ~$100M | ~$300M | ~$400M |
| Holdings | ~30 | ~25 | ~28 |
| Strategy | S-Network Space Index | Kensho AI classification | Active, ARK-managed |
| Includes SpaceX? | No | No | No |
| Includes Rocket Lab? | No | No | Yes |
| Pure space focus? | High | Medium (includes deep ocean) | Low (broader innovation) |
The Stocks Driving the Search Spike
The broader trend data tells a more specific story. Alongside "nasa etf" and "space etf," the rising searches include "rklb" (Rocket Lab, up 130%), "asts" (AST SpaceMobile, up 150%), and "nasa etf holdings" (up 350%). Investors are finding the NASA ETF, checking its holdings, and in some cases discovering it does not contain the companies they wanted.
Rocket Lab (RKLB) is a real business: a small-satellite launch provider that is growing revenue and has a credible path to profitability. AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) is building a direct-to-smartphone satellite network that would let any cellular device connect to its satellites without special hardware. Both are genuinely interesting companies in the space sector. Both are volatile, pre-profitability, and heavily dependent on execution against an ambitious roadmap.
Neither is in NASA (Procure Space ETF). RKLB is in ARKX. ASTS is not in any of the three major space ETFs as of this writing. Investors who want specific exposure to either company will need to buy the stock directly.
The BFF Take
The search spike is real, but what it represents is demand for something that does not yet exist in ETF form: a fund that captures the most compelling publicly traded space companies, priced fairly, without the deep ocean detours or the "3D printing is space adjacent" logic.
What does exist: three small, expensive funds that hold a mix of aerospace contractors, satellite operators, and adjacent technology companies. None captures SpaceX. None captures Blue Origin. The best publicly traded pure-play on the commercial space economy right now is Rocket Lab, and the only way to get meaningful RKLB exposure through an ETF is ARKX, which buries it in a broader active portfolio at 0.75%.
If the SpaceX IPO thesis is your reason for looking at space ETFs, understand what you are actually buying. NASA and ROKT give you the existing public market in space infrastructure. That is a real investable theme. It is just not the SpaceX proxy the search trends suggest most people are looking for.
For investors who want the space theme through a fund: ROKT at 0.45% is the cheapest option with the most assets. For investors who specifically want Rocket Lab exposure inside a fund: ARKX, with clear eyes about what else the fund holds. For investors who want the two most interesting individual names in the space sector right now: RKLB and ASTS are both on the public market directly, with all the volatility that implies.
Space ETFs in 2026
- Searches for space ETFs are up 250% because of SpaceX IPO speculation. SpaceX is not in any ETF.
- NASA (Procure Space ETF) has a great ticker and a 0.75% expense ratio. Its holdings are mostly aerospace contractors, not rocket startups.
- ROKT is the largest and cheapest space ETF at 0.45%. It also holds deep ocean companies alongside the space names.
- ARKX is the most active interpretation of "space." Rocket Lab is in it. So is a lot of non-space innovation.
- Rocket Lab (RKLB) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) are the two public names generating the most search interest. Neither is in NASA or ROKT. RKLB is in ARKX.
- These are small, expensive funds in a speculative sector. Position size accordingly.