Mid-cap SpaceX peer Redwire jumps 30% on new U.S. government contract

Shares of Redwire, a mid-cap maker of spacecraft and technologies for building infrastructure on Mars, surged nearly 30% on Tuesday, January 27, to their highest levels since mid-2025. Investors were reacting to the announcement that the company had been selected as one of the vendors under a $151 billion U.S. Missile Defense Agency program.

Redwire shares jumped almost 30% to $14.20 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, marking their highest close since the middle of 2025. In early trading on Wednesday, the stock had added another 4% as of this writing.

The rally followed Redwire’s announcement that it had been selected for the Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense, or SHIELD, program. The $151 billion program is part of the broader U.S. Golden Dome missile defense strategy and is designed to develop layered defenses against air, missile, space, hybrid, and cyber threats.

The contract is structured as an "indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity" award, giving Redwire the ability to offer the Missile Defense Agency a broad range of capabilities, from unmanned aerial systems to space based platforms, the company said. Redwire also emphasized that the award does not guarantee any revenue.

Founded in 2020 through the consolidation of several established businesses, Redwire describes itself as a provider of solutions and infrastructure for the next-generation space economy. Its strategy centers on acquisitions aimed at covering as many segments of the market as possible, the company said in its 2024 10-K report. From 2020 through 2024, Redwire acquired about a dozen companies, including microgravity 3D printing specialist Made In Space, spacecraft design firm Deep Space Systems, and drone maker Edge Autonomy.

Today, Redwire manufactures spacecraft, avionics, and sensors used in low Earth orbit and deep space missions. In cooperation with Lockheed Martin, it participates in NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program. The company is also developing technologies to build infrastructure on the Moon and Mars, including landing pads, roads, and foundations for future habitats.

Last year, the Motley Fool described Redwire as a pioneer in microgravity manufacturing. In 2024, the company bio-printed a meniscus and the first sample of human heart tissue aboard the International Space Station, advances that Redwire believes could reshape regenerative medicine.

Another area of focus is pharmaceutical research in microgravity. In 2024, research conducted with Eli Lilly showed that insulin crystals grown in space exhibit superior properties compared with those produced on Earth. In 2025, Redwire announced the launch of SpaceMD, a venture aimed at commercializing pharmaceutical developments originating from space based research.

Redwire shares are up nearly 87% year to date but remain down about 35% over the last 12 months.

Wall Street analysts are broadly sanguine on the stock, according to MarketWatch data. Redwire has seven “buy” ratings, two “hold” ratings, and one “sell.” The average target price stands at $12.56 per share, which is below current market levels.