CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Oct. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equity Insider News Commentary - The global space economy climbed 12% year over year to reach $686 billion in 2025, according to the Space Foundation. Next month, a piece of that economy goes on public display on Florida’s Space Coast. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, NASA will host MAX POWER, a new aerospace expo and airshow, on November 7 and 8 on and near Kennedy Space Center, opening the center’s historic Shuttle Landing Facility to the public to showcase next-generation aircraft, spacecraft, autonomous vehicles and technologies. Companies mentioned in today’s commentary include: Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE American: FJET), Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ: LUNR), Firefly Aerospace Inc. (NASDAQ: FLY), Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE), Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIDU).
Florida’s Launch Economy Opens Its Doors
Space Florida calls Florida America’s busiest spaceport state. The agency, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority, reported a record-breaking 109 launches from Florida in 2025, carrying more than 2,100 payloads. In a February 6 release, Space Florida said its spaceport infrastructure program has paired more than $531 million in state investment with $3.3 billion in private industry funding, supporting 48 major infrastructure projects and helping to create more than 5,000 aerospace jobs.
MAX POWER is designed to put that industry in front of the public. NASA said the multi-day event will bring together the public, innovators, investors, pilots, astronauts, engineers and companies, with venues that include the Launch and Landing Facility, which Space Florida leases, and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. NASA is organizing the event with Air Dot Show, Delaware North, Space Florida, Purpose Entertainment and UP.Summit.
“This November, we are opening Kennedy Space Center’s historic Shuttle Landing Facility to the public for America’s newest and most exciting aerospace technology expo and airshow, and we are calling it MAX POWER,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman when the event was announced in August.
The companies building today’s space economy cover far more than rockets. Lunar landers, spacecraft and satellite hardware, suborbital spaceships and high-speed test aircraft are all part of the mix, and several of the companies in this article have launched missions from Kennedy, manufacture flight hardware on the Space Coast or fly from it.
The F-104 Returns to Kennedy Space Center
Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE American: FJET), the space company operating the world’s only commercial fleet of flight-ready Mach 2+ supersonic aircraft, announced on October 21 that it will showcase its F-104 jets at MAX POWER. Starfighters will take part in both flight demonstrations and static aircraft displays at the event.
“The F-104 is the original ‘right stuff’ supersonic jet, used by NASA and the Air Force to train Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts, including Neil Armstrong. Beyond Apollo, it was later used by NASA to test heat shield tiles for the Space Shuttle, and it performed an array of aeronautical missions, including testing reaction-control thrusters at altitudes above 100,000 feet,” said Tim Franta, CEO of Starfighters Space. “Today, we are continuing the F-104’s legacy at Kennedy Space Center by using the aircraft as a real-world platform to test and advance next-generation aerospace technologies.”
At the show, the F-104 will be flown by Piercarlo Ciacchi, the Company’s Director of Flight Operations and lead aviator, who has more than 7,000 hours of flight time across a wide range of aircraft types. Before joining Starfighters, Ciacchi flew the F-104 in the Italian Air Force and was a member of Italy’s National Aerobatic Team.
The aircraft has a long record book. The F-104 set world records for speed (1,404.9 mph), altitude (103,395 feet) and time-to-climb (ground to 25,000 meters in 266.03 seconds), and more than 2,500 were built beginning in 1954 for U.S. agencies and more than a dozen allied air forces. Italy was the last nation to fly the F-104 in military service, retiring its fleet in 2004, and Starfighters later acquired multiple aircraft and engines from Italy’s retired inventory. Only a handful of F-104s remain operational worldwide, and most are in the Company’s fleet.
Starfighters operates its F-104 fleet at Kennedy Space Center and the Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas. The Company says its aircraft are flight-ready to support hypersonic system testing, microgravity science, human factors and biomedical studies, spaceflight hardware and materials testing, defense and aerospace technology validation, and supersonic pilot and commercial astronaut training, and are intended to ultimately support air-launch operations for suborbital and small orbital payloads under its STARLAUNCH™ initiative. More information is available at starfightersspace.com.
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Around the Space Sector
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ: LUNR), whose IM-2 lunar mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in February 2025, reported record quarterly revenue of $206 million for the second quarter of 2026 and ended the quarter with a record backlog of $1.8 billion. The company booked $920 million of awards in the quarter plus $300 million in third-quarter awards to date, closed its acquisition of Goonhilly Earth Station and COMSAT in August, and received a July award for 18 spacecraft to support Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3. It expects full-year 2026 revenue of $900 million to $1 billion and positive full-year Adjusted EBITDA.
“We delivered a strong quarter, highlighted by revenue over four times Q2 2025 as we executed across our programs, recorded unprecedented bookings and backlog, and positioned the Company for the next phase of growth,” said Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines.
Firefly Aerospace Inc. (NASDAQ: FLY), whose Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy in January 2025, reported record second-quarter 2026 revenue of $117.7 million, up 659% year over year. During the quarter, it was awarded a $144 million NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract for a rapid Blue Ghost lander mission to the Moon, its sixth contracted lunar mission, signed an extension of Lockheed Martin’s multi-launch agreement for up to 25 Alpha launches through 2031, and won a $94 million Space Force contract. Firefly expects full-year 2026 revenue of $420 million to $450 million.
“Breaking the $100 million mark with another quarterly revenue record demonstrates Firefly’s amplified growth,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace.
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) announced on October 14 a 24-month Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Warfare Directorate to explore using its next-generation Spaceship to capture space weather data. In its second-quarter results, the company said its first ship is expected to enter commercial service in February 2027, with the flight test phase expected to begin in October with a captive carry flight and a second spaceship planned to join the fleet in March 2027. It reported cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $286 million as of June 30.
“Our tranche of spaceflight expeditions priced at $750,000 was oversubscribed and booked out ahead of schedule, demonstrating strong demand from a wide range of customers,” said Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic.
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIDU), headquartered in Cape Canaveral, announced on October 14 that it secured more than $3 million in space and defense hardware manufacturing contracts and purchase orders during the third quarter of 2026. The work is produced at the company’s 35,000-square-foot facility in Cape Canaveral, which operates under an AS9100 Rev. D and ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system.
“Production awards are earned through consistent performance,” said Carol Craig, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Sidus Space.
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