SpaceGhost

Software Engineer, Space Enthusiast 🚀🥼

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

$RKLB wiki now has (almost) every insider interview / presentation embedded, fully transcribed, with metadata.

There's a few missing, working to fill in the gaps but figured I'd share what I had so far.

https://t.co/86dJw1RxCE

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

Holy shit mom get the camera.

Sorry I’ve been slacking on the wiki lately guys. I’ll get it updated soon.

💛💛💛

[Anp🅰️nman @spacanpanman]

$RKLB $ASTS: Shoutout to fellow space nerds for making it to Dow Jones News! @JacobKeeton20 @BrettKrieger12 @SpaceInvestor_D

These 'nerds' earned millions betting on space years before the SpaceX IPO made it cool

By Christine Ji

(MarketWatch) -- Everyday investors - like a 'Star Trek' fan, an accountant and an engineer - use satellite imagery, track planes and visit rocket-launch sites

After quitting his semiconductor-engineering job last year, 35-year-old Jacob Keeton left his hometown of Beaverton, Ore., and embarked on a 12,000-mile road trip across America and back. Over the span of 11 weeks, Keeton drove through Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma and many other states, visiting over a dozen national parks on his journey.

The ultimate destination and reason behind Keeton's voyage was an unassuming six square miles of land hugging the Atlantic Ocean. For decades, Wallops Island, Va., has been home to a NASA rocket-testing facility. More recently, it's begun to accommodate launch pads for an aerospace company called Rocket Lab (RKLB). Keeton has accumulated tens of thousands of Rocket Lab shares and become a millionaire, brokerage documents reviewed by MarketWatch show.

For Keeton, it's been a dream come true. "I've been a sci-fi nerd and space fan my whole life," Keeton told MarketWatch. He now identifies as "semi-retired," attributing his work status to the 40 hours a week or more he spends monitoring his Rocket Lab investment and the space industry at large.

"I haven't got to visit the other facilities yet, but they're all marked on my Google Maps," Keeton said. "I've searched imagery of every kind from every facility. I've looked up tax records for anything that might have some nugget of information." He's even bought satellite imagery to track Rocket Lab's construction progress at Wallops.

Keeton also made a pit stop in Florida to see 28-year-old accountant and fellow space investor Brett Krieger. Together, Krieger, Keeton and a third collaborator known anonymously as Space Investor host a weekly Tuesday live audio broadcast on X, drawing listeners ranging from thrill-seeking retail investors to NASA scientists. Krieger and Space Investor have seen the value of their portfolios inflate to millions of dollars over the past two years as Rocket Lab shares exploded by over 2,300%, to $108 as of Tuesday, and its market valuation reached $63 billion.

The trio - who met on X through Rocket Lab discussion threads - made risky bets on a company whose success once seemed just about impossible. They are part of a crew of swashbuckling space enthusiasts and retail traders who explored for riches in the cosmos and now look smart on the eve of the blockbuster SpaceX IPO. These stargazers evoke comparisons to the investor cults that have surrounded stocks like Palantir (PLTR). While there is some overlap - Krieger currently owns Palantir shares and Space Investor has traded them in the past - investing large sums of money in rocket science demands a unique degree of grit and idealism veering on masochism.

Krieger's investment plunged him into an open-source intelligence community that obsessively tracks every crumb of Rocket Lab news and data. "There are people going over to the New Zealand facilities every day, taking pictures of the Neutron progress or tracking planes, boats and shipping supplies over to Virginia," Krieger said.

For decades, space exploration stagnated under the purview of bureaucracy-steeped government processes. Many scientists viewed Elon Musk's mission of building a private spaceflight company with contempt as SpaceX rocket launches failed one after another, incinerating some of Musk's personal fortune and putting his companies on track for bankruptcy in 2008.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck seemed to stand even less of a chance when he founded the company in 2006, as an amateur rocketeer with no college degree and no funding. Beck hails from the southern tip of New Zealand, a country whose dominant industries are dairy products and tourism. But Beck had the crazy idea of creating a small rocket that would make frequent and cheap trips to space. As Beck later recalled on the "Relentless" podcast, in the early days he would scavenge for spare parts in junkyards to save money.

Today, Rocket Lab's small-lift Electron rockets act like outer-space Ubers, delivering clusters of satellites into custom trajectories on behalf of imaging companies, government agencies and researchers. Electron is the second-most-launched U.S. rocket, trailing only SpaceX's Falcon 9. The company has also built its own vertically integrated satellite-manufacturing division.
For his contributions to the New Zealand aerospace industry, Beck was knighted in 2024. "We all call him Sir Peter Beck out of respect," Krieger said.

Rocket Lab has yet to turn a profit. The company is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars building Neutron, a much larger rocket scheduled to be test-launched on Wallops at the end of this year. The stock trades at a rich valuation multiple, 100 times trailing sales, according to FactSet.

But against all odds, Rocket Lab and other private space companies have created a vibrant commercial ecosystem at a time when space is once again capturing the hearts and minds of mankind. SpaceX's impending public listing has sparked an industry-wide rally in space stocks. Missile defense systems, orbital data centers, asteroid mining and Mars colonies: The final frontier beckons with untold riches and glory that Rocket Lab and others are racing to claim.

Rocket Lab's loyal supporters are confident that Beck and the company will be successful. "He's a madman genius," Space Investor said.

'I sold half of my portfolio to pay down my house, car and all my debt'

Rocket Lab successfully completed 21 Electron launches in 2025.

Keeton first heard about Rocket Lab when he was a college student studying mechanical engineering, following the inaugural launch of its Electron rocket in 2017. His classes included satellite design and orbital mechanics, and he worked on a university project to build the base station for a ground launch system. When rumors swirled in March 2021 that Rocket Lab planned to go public via a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition company, Vector Acquisition Corp., Keeton jumped in and bought 200 shares of the SPAC.

Rocket Lab officially debuted on the Nasdaq COMP in August 2021. Over the next few years, Keeton accumulated as much as 50,000 shares of the company even as the stock bottomed at $3.53 a share in April 2024.

Keeton's average cost per share was $6.36 in September 2024, according to brokerage records. As Rocket Lab increased the cadence of its Electron launches and reported a blowout quarter in November 2024, the stock shot up.

At the beginning of 2026, Keeton trimmed his Rocket Lab position as his portfolio hit a peak of $6.4 million. Keeton now holds around 11,000 shares of Rocket Lab; brokerage records viewed by MarketWatch show that Keeton has realized over $3 million in Rocket Lab gains. Keeton has invested in other space names such as AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), but he noted that Rocket Lab has always been his biggest holding. On top of buying and holding, Keeton likes to trade momentum-based options, he said.

The "space craze" was what lured Space Investor back to stock picking after a decade on the sidelines. "I've always been looking to the stars...watching 'Star Trek,' 'Star Wars,' all of that," Space Investor said. In his free time, he builds Lego rockets and model rocket kits with his children. "We launch rocket models every summer together," Space Investor said.

Making risky investments and borrowing excessively had nearly bankrupted him during the financial crisis, Space Investor told MarketWatch, but the 2019 public debut of space-tourism company Virgin Galactic (SPCE) inspired Space Investor to set aside a few thousand dollars into a "YOLO" account.

Space Investor initiated a position in Rocket Lab in 2023 after reading "When the Heavens Went on Sale," a book about the commercial spaceflight industry starring new space startups like Rocket Lab, Planet Labs (PL), Astra Space and Firefly Aerospace (FLY). Impressed by author Ashlee Vance's description of Beck's dogged determination, Space Investor aggressively built up his position as shares of Rocket Lab fell. He set buy orders for 100 shares every 10-cent drop, accumulating up to 10,000 shares of Rocket Lab for as little as $3.50 per share, according to brokerage documents.

Over the past year, Space Investor says his portfolio of space stocks - which also included names like AST SpaceMobile and Redwire (RDW) - crossed the $1 million mark. "I sold half of my portfolio to pay down my house, car and all my debt," Space Investor said.
Space Investor would only speak on condition of anonymity. MarketWatch reviewed Space Investor's brokerage records and verified his identity.
Wall Street takes off

Over the past 18 months, institutional investors have joined the Rocket Lab trade and their participation in the stock has steadily grown, leading Needham analyst Ryan Koontz to initiate coverage of the stock in April 2025. Like the retail crowd, institutional investors have been charmed by Beck and his executive team, which Koontz believes is a major selling point for Rocket Lab.

Rocket Lab successfully completed 21 Electron launches in 2025, giving Wall Street a major boost of confidence in the company. "There's a heavy fixed cost to running multiple launch facilities," Koontz told MarketWatch. "If you're not doing enough launches, it shows up in your margins, and it's not pretty." Rocket Lab's gross margins reached a record high of 38.2% in the most recent quarterly report, up from 28.8% a year ago, according to company filings.

Koontz himself has been a space enthusiast his whole life. "I was always kind of a geeky kid," Koontz said. "It was always something of interest to me, outer space and rockets and that sort of stuff." Decades ago, he worked as a telecommunications engineer before becoming a sell-side analyst. With the recent influx of institutional capital into the space economy, previously inconceivable technological advancements are suddenly within reach.

"There's been more and more engagement as they come up to speed on the whole sector and realize that this is no longer just a little niche defense and aerospace play," Koontz said of institutional investors. "It's becoming a commercial force and it's starting to disrupt terrestrial industries."

But Rocket Lab retail investors are not just fair-weather friends. As the stock languished in penny-stock territory around the end of 2024, insurgent squads of space enthusiasts huddled in scattered corners of the internet. Space Investor's posts from that era would generate the occasional like or two. Outsiders would sometimes stumble across the Rocket Lab community and be swept up in its orbit.
Brett Krieger sports official Rocket Lab gear.

That's how Brett Krieger found his way to Rocket Lab and became the millionaire he is today. A skeptic when he first heard about the company in 2023, Krieger soon changed his mind as he learned more about Rocket Lab. The company's space-systems business is a "one-stop shop," Krieger said. "They can build your constellation, they can launch it and they will operate it."

Krieger doubled down on his Rocket Lab position as the stock troughed. While Krieger declined to disclose his exact holdings, documents viewed by MarketWatch show that he's built up a substantial position in Rocket Lab with an average cost basis of $6.73 per share, gaining millions over the past three years. Krieger further immersed himself in the online community of space-stock fanatics and last year he opened a position in AST.

"When the Heavens Went on Sale" - which was adapted into a 2024 HBO documentary titled "Wild Wild Space" - has since become a canonical text in the Rocket Lab community, credited for bringing mainstream awareness to the company. An anonymous X account by the name of @SpaceGhost has assembled a Rocket Lab Wiki compiling every interview, commercial satellite deal, transcript and available piece of data on the company.

Rocket Lab investors geek out over the company's signature aesthetic, from its sleek black carbon-fiber Electron rockets to a custom-built mission-control center designed with pitch-black walls and crimson LED lighting. Krieger describes the room as "Darth Vader-themed." It's a vibe that Beck has leaned into by playing the "Star Wars" soundtrack throughout the headquarters, according to Vance's book. Fans purchase Rocket Lab-branded shirts, jackets, model rockets and even baby onesies.

These self-described space nerds don't just live online. In April, Krieger drove two hours to Florida's Cape Canaveral to watch Blue Origin's third launch of its New Glenn rocket, which was carrying an AST BlueBird satellite. He was joined by fellow enthusiasts and investors, some of whom had flown in past midnight to catch the early-morning April 19 launch.
Krieger and Keeton both plan to travel to Wallops to attend the Neutron launch later this year. Plans are circulating amongst the community to charter a private jet and throw a massive party, Krieger said.

'The second-worst thing that can happen'

Blue Origin's next major test was not as successful as the one Krieger witnessed. On May 28, a fiery mushroom cloud enveloped Cape Canaveral as New Glenn's engine malfunctioned during a pre-flight test, blowing up the rocket, launch pad and other nearby infrastructure.

"They say in the industry destroying a launch pad is the second-worst thing that can happen," Keeton said, "with the first being loss of a crew." The explosion has reportedly set back Blue Origin's progress by at least six months, not to mention derailed satellite-deployment timelines across the entire industry.

Shares of Rocket Lab, AST, Planet Labs and other space stocks tumbled in the aftermath. It's a stark reminder of the space industry's inordinate risks, especially for newer space investors who entered the arena amidst the roaring momentum of the past two years.

However, Clear Street analyst Greg Pendy sees the Blue Origin mishap as an opportunity for Rocket Lab to seize market share. "We see a backlog of satellites looking to launch, with canceled missions," Pendy told MarketWatch. When rockets do come back online, Pendy anticipates major congestion at launch points in the U.S. "Rocket Lab is unique because they have the ability to launch not only from the U.S. but also New Zealand," Pendy added.

With the SpaceX IPO coming this week, space investors face another source of uncertainty. Undoubtedly, Musk's SpaceX is the trailblazer to which the rest of the industry owes its existence. But it's also a ruthless competitor, and its record-smashing public listing threatens to crowd out other names in the space ecosystem.

"Everyone is wondering if it's going to suck up liquidity in the field or if it's going to draw more eyes and liquidity," Keeton said. "I personally think it's going to be a bit of both."

After the SpaceX IPO, Keeton plans to take a break from actively monitoring his space investments. His next plan for retirement is very down-to-earth. "I'm moving into a van starting this summer," Keeton said.
-Christine Ji

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@JacobKeeton20 @GeneLearnSpace @spacanpanman @BrettKrieger12 @SpaceInvestor_D 💛

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@KevZag ps. I love @Vast keep up the great work

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@KevZag Human Cent-ISS-pede (sorry)

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@Peter_J_Beck @lrocket @Kemp @Astra

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@GhostOfLaszloJ @JacobKeeton20 @SpaceInvestor_D @FranciscoSpace5 @RADHardTech @spacanpanman @scotto2050 @CaptinD2sr2 @NotDarkYet8 @BrettKrieger12 Cool, yeah that seems like grease for the wheels vs actually unlocking new markets to me.

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@GhostOfLaszloJ @JacobKeeton20 @SpaceInvestor_D @FranciscoSpace5 @RADHardTech @spacanpanman @scotto2050 @CaptinD2sr2 @NotDarkYet8 @BrettKrieger12 I'm thinking pricing advantage due to tariffs? Realistically which markets does this open? Not China.

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@JacobKeeton20

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

All my homies love Electron 😎🤝🚀

[Rocket Lab @RocketLab]

Horizontal checks completed and Electron is now vertical on the pad at LC-1. Weather conditions are 80% favorable for an on-time liftoff in ~4 hours time. T-0 is set for 12:53 pm NZDT.

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@RocketLab Long Boi

[Tran @trypto_tran]

MTO returns under a new program name:

Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN)

Draft and Final RFPs forthcoming

https://t.co/B0TGy1oD14

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@trypto_tran

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@NoLifeJordan69 Apollo 13 >>>>>

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

@NoLifeJordan69

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

We love a cheeky Rocket Lab tweet

[Eric Berger @SciGuySpace]

"Eric, you are trying to make a story out of nothing."

https://t.co/tnEyvC8gGD

[SpaceGhost @SpaceGhost_42]

In Everyday Astronaut’s BO factory tour Bezos mentions that they have two competing teams; one for reusable one for expendable. Expendable team aiming for the cheapest / fastest to produce (à la Neutron upper) and reusable aiming to push the service lifespan as far as they can. Must be nice having unlimited R+D funding 🙃

[Mottbox @mottbox_]

$RKLB 🚀 📖
RKLB Wiki is an open source central repository for all things Rocket Lab - created by @SpaceGhost_42

RKLB Wiki: https://t.co/1jEn5MgHrY

This is a highly useful tool for conducting research on Rocket Lab.