The Railroads of Space: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and How to Invest the New Space Economy

The Railroads of Space: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and How to Invest the New Space Economy

From Money On Tap by Ben Brayshaw & Seth Krussman

May 3, 2026 · 56 min · Season 11 · Episode 398

About this episode

The episode discusses the emerging space economy and investment opportunities, focusing on SpaceX and related companies.

Space just became an asset class. Q1 2026 alone saw $36 billion deployed — and the SpaceX IPO could be the first trillion-dollar offering in history.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon walk through what they're calling the railroads of space — the picks-and-shovels companies quietly building the rails that everything else will ride on.What you'll learn: Why the SpaceX IPO is the single biggest catalyst hanging over the entire sector The three investable layers: access · infrastructure · application & data A walk-through of the public names already in motion — RKLB, ASTS, IRDM, PL, RDW Where robotics fits — and why Honeybee Robotics and Redwire matter more than people think The four real risks: capital intensity, government dependence, boom-bust speculation, and SpaceX disruption Why an actively managed space-themed ETF may be the most prudent way for retail investors to participate Plus Money In The News: Active ETFs cross $1 trillion — and why the cost trade-off is worth it for many investors Round Hill's DRAM ETF pulls $1B in 10 days, giving U.S. investors backdoor access to Samsung and SK Hynix $4 gas drives consumer confidence to a record-low 47.6% —…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Brayshaw

Guest: Dan Michelon

Topics covered

  • space economy
  • investing
  • SpaceX IPO
  • robotics
  • active ETFs
  • capital risks

Keywords

  • SpaceX
  • rocket lab
  • investing
  • space economy
  • active ETFs
  • robotics
  • capital risks
  • IPO
  • infrastructure

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Honeybee Robotics, Redwire, Round Hill, Samsung, SK Hynix

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