Artemis II Crew Head Toward Moon On Historic First NASA Crewed Lunar Mission In More Than 50 Years: Rocket Lab And Other Stocks To Watch Tonight

NASA launched Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. ET, sending four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the moon and back.

Historic Lunar Test Flight

The crew, which comprises Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canada's Jeremy Hansen, became the first people to head toward the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the first astronauts ever launched by NASA's Space Launch System rocket.

The mission will not land on the moon. Instead, NASA designed Artemis II as a major test flight for future lunar missions and for its broader plan to build a sustained human presence there. During the mission, the crew is expected to travel farther from Earth than any humans before, helping NASA gather data for the next phase of its moon program.

Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile, Firefly and BlackSky Edge Higher

Sidus Space Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU), a key hardware manufacturer and partner for NASA’s Artemis II mission, saw its shares slip 0.06% in after-hours trading on Wednesday to $2.10 after slipping 9.48% through the day. Similarly, Intuitive Machines Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR), NASA’s global partner to track the Orion spacecraft during its 10-day journey, saw its shares slip 1.19% in after-hours trading on Wednesday to $20.00 after rising 9.05% through the day.

Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) has built its business around its Electron small‑launch vehicle and growing space systems segment, positioning itself as a key small‑satellite launch and components provider in a market supported by rising government and commercial demand.

RKLB shares rose 1.57% in after-hours trading on Wednesday to $66.55 after rising 2.02% through the day.

AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) is the company responsible for building a space‑based cellular broadband network designed to connect directly to standard mobile phones via its BlueBird satellite constellation.

ASTS shares rose 0.87% in after-hours trading on Wednesday to $84.72 after rising 1.35% through the day.

Firefly Aerospace Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:FLY) Blue Ghost lunar lander and CLPS delivery contracts are directly tied to providing science and technology payload services that support Artemis surface exploration goals. FLY shares rose 0.37% in after-hours trading on Wednesday to $29.87 after gaining 4.53% through the day.

BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE:BKSY) played a key role in supporting the Artemis II mission by providing high-cadence, high-resolution Earth-imaging intelligence to monitor the launch preparation. BKSY shares rose 0.11% in after-hours trading on Wednesday to $27.65 after rising 9.78% through the day.

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