What's Going On With Redwire Stock On Thursday?

Redwire Corp. (NYSE:RDW) shares are surging on Thursday following news of a potential deal that could strengthen SpaceX ahead of a possible public listing.

Last week, the space and defense technology company reported first-quarter revenue of $97 million, up 57.9% year over year, alongside a record backlog of $498.1 million and a 1.92 book-to-bill ratio.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is reportedly in talks with Elon Musk-led SpaceX on a potential rocket-launch agreement tied to orbital data centers.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the discussions come as both companies expand investments in space-based computing infrastructure, an emerging sector viewed as a possible solution to the growing power and land constraints facing terrestrial data centers.

Orbital Computing Draws Interest — And Skepticism

Orbital computing has gained momentum as artificial intelligence drives demand for more computing power. Supporters say space-based data centers powered by solar energy could help overcome the electricity and land limitations affecting Earth-based facilities.

Still, the concept remains largely unproven, with major engineering and cost challenges continuing to fuel skepticism across the industry.

Redwire Continues Artemis Program Work With NASA And Airbus

In April, Redwire announced that its advanced optical imaging and sun-sensor technology will launch on board the Orion spacecraft as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission.

Through a contract with Lockheed Martin, NASA’s prime contractor for Orion, Redwire is responsible for producing and testing the Orion Camera System for Artemis missions I-V.

The Redwire cameras on board Artemis I captured imagery and video, including livestream views from the solar array wing cameras that were made available to the public throughout the mission.

Redwire is also providing four redundant Coarse Sun Sensor (CSS) assemblies for Orion’s European Service Module (ESM) through a contract with Airbus.

RDW Price Action: Redwire shares were up 24.69% at $14.29 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro.

Over the past month, RDW has gained about 36.1% versus a 8.9% rise in the S&P 500 and is up roughly 80% year-to-date compared to the index’s 9.2% gain.

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