[Weekend Money] SpaceX Set to Go Public... Which ETF Should You Choose?

Shinhan: "Among U.S. ETFs, most inflows go to NASA"


"In Korea, focus is on TIGER for scale and ACE for active management"

SpaceX is set to go public on June 12, 2026. Since the beginning of this year, numerous exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an aerospace theme have been launched both domestically and internationally, many of which have announced plans to include SpaceX in their portfolios. This has left investors with much to consider.

Woo-Yeol Park, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., stated, "2026 marks the inaugural year of the space arms race. The United States has increased its Space Force budget by 40% from the previous year, allocating 40 billion dollars. If you are looking for a new theme that could attract concentrated demand after semiconductors, space is worth paying attention to." He pointed out that the supply-demand, trading volume, and momentum indicators for leading U.S.-listed ETFs such as the 'Procure Space ETF (UFO)' and 'Tema Space Innovators ETF (NASA)' are already surpassing those of the semiconductor sector.

When comparing the two products, he analyzed that the NASA ETF showed stronger supply-demand momentum. Park explained, "Even though SpaceX is not yet listed, the ETF has already secured more than a 10% stake through a special purpose vehicle." He added, "The assets under management (AUM) of the NASA ETF have increased by 448% over the past month, making it the product that has attracted the most inflows thanks to its strong momentum."

He also evaluated that some products which previously included SpaceX had weaker stability. Park commented, "'ERShares Private-Public Crossover (XOVR.US)' ETF included more than 10% of SpaceX shares, but it is not a product focused exclusively on space investment. In addition, while 'Destiny Tech100 Inc (DXYZ.US)' is known to have a high proportion of SpaceX shares, it is not an ETF—its structure is opaque and volatility was extreme." Destiny Tech100 Inc (DXYZ.US) is a closed-end fund listed on the New York Stock Exchange, not an ETF.

The number of aerospace ETFs in Korea has increased to nine. At the beginning of the year, the only product dedicated to U.S. space tech investment was Hana Asset Management's '1Q US Space Aero Tech.' However, on March 17, KODEX US Space Aero was listed, followed by TIGER US Space Tech and ACE US Space Tech Active on April 14, and SOL US Space Aero TOP10 on April 21. Currently, the ETF with the largest trading value and assets under management is TIGER US Space Tech.

Park noted, "ACE and TIGER are proving their management performance and are emerging as leading ETFs. They have outperformed not only UFO ETF, the representative U.S.-listed space ETF, but also NASA ETF, which has secured over a 10% allocation to SpaceX."

The two products differ in stock selection and allocation. ACE US Space Tech Active is the only actively managed ETF among domestic peers, and has increased its allocation to EchoStar, which holds a stake in SpaceX. As of June 4, its portfolio focused on EchoStar at 26.21% and Rocket Lab at 16.73%, with all other stocks held at less than 4%. TIGER US Space Tech is composed of Redwire at 22.63%, Rocket Lab at 20.74%, Intuitive Machines at 19.15%, AST SpaceMobile at 11.86%, and Planet Labs at 7.21%. EchoStar's allocation in TIGER US Space Tech is 4.72%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.