Ever since SpaceX went public in June, the most common question I get about space ETFs is "which ones hold SpaceX?" I answered that one in my full list of ETFs that hold SpaceX ($SPCX). The second most common question is the same thing for Rocket Lab.
It makes sense. Rocket Lab is the closest thing the public market had to a pure-play launch company before SpaceX listed, and it's still the name a lot of people want in their space bet. But you don't have to buy the single stock to own it. Here's every way to get it through a fund, and what you're really buying when you do.
What's in this guide
The Full List: ETFs That Hold $RKLB, Ranked by Weight
Here's what each fund reported. The last column is the one I find most useful: how many dollars of Rocket Lab you actually own for every $10,000 you put in.
| ETF | Fund | $RKLB Weight | $SPCX Weight | Expense Ratio | $RKLB per $10K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $WARP | VanEck Space ETF | 12.44% (#2) | 24.00% | 0.50% | ~$1,244 |
| $NASA | Tema Space Innovators ETF | 9.05% (#2) | 28.56% | 0.75% | ~$905 |
| $ORBX | Global X Space Tech ETF | 8.90% (#2) | 26.73% | 0.50% | ~$890 |
| $MARS | Roundhill Space & Technology ETF | 8.35% (#2) | 26.87% | 0.75% | ~$835 |
| $ARKX | ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF | 4.77% (#7) | 11.29% | 0.75% | ~$477 |
| $UFO | Procure Space ETF | 4.36% (#6) | 16.91% | 0.75% | ~$436 |
| $XAR | SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF | 3.50% | None | 0.35% | ~$350 |
| $ITA | iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF | 2.15% | None | 0.38% | ~$215 |
Sources: VanEck, Tema, Global X and Procure issuer pages (holdings as of October 21 to 22, 2026). $MARS (October 19), $ARKX (October 20), $ITA (October 16) and $XAR (October 2) holdings via StockAnalysis.com. Expense ratios from issuer pages and our daily space ETF data. Weights change every day.
Two things jump out. First, the four funds at the top all launched in 2026, and every one of them has Rocket Lab as its second biggest holding. Second, every one of them has SpaceX as its first. Keep that in mind, because I'll come back to it.
Space ETFs With the Biggest Rocket Lab Positions
$WARP VanEck Space ETF
The most Rocket Lab of any diversified fund on this list. It's a tight portfolio of just 22 names, with SpaceX at 24.00%, Rocket Lab at 12.44%, then EchoStar, Globalstar, AST SpaceMobile, MDA Space, Viasat and Iridium in the 4% to 6% range. Over a third of the fund is in two launch companies. That's concentrated, and it's small, at under $50 million in assets.
$NASA Tema Space Innovators ETF
The biggest of the new space funds at about $1.02 billion. Rocket Lab is 9.05%, behind SpaceX at 28.56%. One detail worth knowing: Tema says its SpaceX position is held through a special purpose vehicle valued at transaction cost, so that part of the fund doesn't move day to day the way the listed $SPCX shares do. Its top 10 also includes AST SpaceMobile, Viasat, Firefly Aerospace, MDA Space, Intuitive Machines and Voyager Technologies.
$ORBX Global X Space Tech ETF
Global X lists SpaceX at 26.73%, Rocket Lab at 8.90% and AST SpaceMobile at 7.42% as its top three. It shares the 0.50% fee with $WARP, which makes them the two cheapest pure space funds on this list. It's small too, at about $37 million in net assets.
$MARS Roundhill Space & Technology ETF
Same pattern again: SpaceX first at about 27%, Rocket Lab second at 8.35%, then Globalstar, AST SpaceMobile and Viasat. It charges 0.75%, so you're paying more than $WARP or $ORBX for a similar mix.
The Older Space Funds: $UFO and $ARKX
If you've owned a space ETF for a few years, it's probably one of these two. Both hold Rocket Lab, just at about half the weight of the new funds.
$UFO tracks the VettaFi Space Index with 66 holdings and about $481 million in assets. Procure lists Rocket Lab at 4.36%, its sixth biggest position, behind SpaceX (16.91%), Trimble, Garmin, EchoStar and Sirius XM. That's the most diversified way on this list to own Rocket Lab inside a real space portfolio.
$ARKX is ARK's actively managed space and defense fund. Rocket Lab was about 4.77% as of October 20, next to SpaceX at about 11.29% and big names like L3Harris, Deere, Nvidia and Kratos. ARK has been adding to Rocket Lab this month, according to Benzinga's coverage of ARK's daily trades, so that weight may be drifting up.
I compared these two (plus $ROKT) head to head in $UFO vs $ARKX vs $ROKT. Short version: $UFO is the purer space bet, $ARKX is really a bet on ARK's innovation thesis.
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Aerospace and Defense ETFs That Hold Rocket Lab
This is the category people forget. Rocket Lab sells to defense and government customers, so it shows up in the big aerospace and defense funds too:
- $XAR (SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF) is an equal-weighted fund, so every stock starts near the same weight and the winners drift up between rebalances. Rocket Lab was its largest position at about 3.50% in early October. 0.35% expense ratio.
- $ITA (iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF) held Rocket Lab at about 2.15% in mid October, alongside the big defense primes. 0.38% expense ratio and about $12 billion in assets.
These are defense funds first and space funds second. But they're cheaper, much bigger and they don't hold SpaceX at all. If you want a little Rocket Lab without making a big SpaceX bet, this is the quiet way to do it.
What about $ROKT? State Street's Kensho Final Frontiers fund is heavy on aerospace, defense and deep sea names, and Rocket Lab isn't in its top 10. Check its full holdings file if that matters to you.
2x Single-Stock Rocket Lab ETFs
For traders, there are now single-stock funds built on Rocket Lab alone:
- $RKLX (Defiance Daily Target 2X Long RKLB ETF) seeks 2x Rocket Lab's daily move, using swaps. It launched in March 2025.
- $RKLZ (Defiance Daily Target 2X Short RKLB ETF) seeks -2x Rocket Lab's daily move. It launched November 17, 2025 and charges 1.29% gross.
Same warning I give on every leveraged fund: these reset daily. Over any period longer than a day, you won't get 2x (or -2x) of Rocket Lab's return, and in a stock as volatile as $RKLB, the daily reset can eat you alive even if you get the direction right. They also cost more than 1% a year. These are short-term trading tools, not a way to "own" Rocket Lab.
The Catch: SpaceX Comes With Almost All of Them
This is the part most people miss. If you buy a space ETF "for the Rocket Lab," you're actually buying a lot more SpaceX than Rocket Lab.
In $WARP, the top two holdings add up to about 36% of the fund. In $NASA, $ORBX and $MARS, SpaceX plus Rocket Lab is roughly 35% to 38%. These two stocks are both launch companies, and they compete directly for launch contracts. When sentiment turns on space launch, both can fall at the same time, and a third of your fund goes with them.
That doesn't make these funds bad. It just means you should look at the top two lines before you buy, not the fund's name. For a broader look at the whole category, see the 10 top space ETFs to buy in 2026 and our guide to 13 space ETFs beyond $SPCX.
Which Approach Fits You
- "I want the most Rocket Lab I can get in a fund." $WARP, then $NASA, $ORBX or $MARS. Just know you're getting even more SpaceX.
- "I want Rocket Lab inside a broad space portfolio." $UFO. 66 holdings, Rocket Lab at about 4%.
- "I want some Rocket Lab with no SpaceX." $XAR or $ITA. Cheaper and bigger, but mostly defense.
- "I want to trade Rocket Lab's daily moves." $RKLX or $RKLZ. Short term only.
- "I already own an index fund." Rocket Lab is a U.S.-listed company, so total market funds like $VTI hold a small slice. Not much, but it's there.
My Take
I'm a dividend investor first. Rocket Lab doesn't pay a dividend and neither do these space funds in any meaningful way. Space is a growth bet, and I treat it that way: a small slice, sized so a 50% drawdown doesn't change my life.
If I wanted Rocket Lab exposure, I'd decide first how much SpaceX I'm comfortable owning alongside it, because almost every space fund forces that choice on you. Then I'd look at fees. $WARP and $ORBX charge 0.50% for a very similar mix to funds charging 0.75%. Over a decade, that gap adds up.
And while the growth side does its thing, I'd want the rest of my portfolio paying me. That's what I spend most of my time on at TopDividendETFs.com and MonthlyETFs.com. If you want to see how these growth themes stack up once everything is counted, ETFTotalReturns.com and GrowthETFs.com are built for that. For live yields and price decay on 130+ income ETFs, TopDividendETFsPRO does the filtering for you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which ETF has the most Rocket Lab stock?
Among diversified ETFs, the VanEck Space ETF ($WARP) had the biggest Rocket Lab weight at 12.44% as of October 21, 2026. Tema's $NASA (9.05%), Global X's $ORBX (8.90%) and Roundhill's $MARS (8.35%) were next. For leveraged exposure, $RKLX targets 2x Rocket Lab's daily move.
Does $UFO hold Rocket Lab?
Yes. As of October 22, 2026, Procure listed Rocket Lab at 4.36% of $UFO, its sixth largest holding. SpaceX ($SPCX) was its largest at 16.91%.
Does $ARKX own Rocket Lab?
Yes. $ARKX held Rocket Lab at about 4.77% as of October 20, 2026, its seventh largest position, behind SpaceX at about 11.29%. ARK has been adding to Rocket Lab in October 2026.
Is there a Rocket Lab ETF?
There is no fund that holds only Rocket Lab shares, but there are single-stock leveraged ETFs built on it: $RKLX seeks 2x and $RKLZ seeks -2x Rocket Lab's daily return. They reset daily and are meant for short-term trading. For long-term exposure, space ETFs like $WARP, $NASA, $UFO and $ARKX hold Rocket Lab inside a basket.
Can I get Rocket Lab exposure without SpaceX?
Yes. Aerospace and defense ETFs like $XAR (about 3.50% Rocket Lab) and $ITA (about 2.15%) hold Rocket Lab but no SpaceX. Most dedicated space ETFs hold more SpaceX than Rocket Lab.
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Disclaimer: This article is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice or a buy or sell signal on any security. Fund holdings, weights, expense ratios and assets come from issuer fund pages and StockAnalysis.com and are current as of the dates noted above, between October 2 and October 22, 2026. They change every day. Leveraged and inverse ETFs are complex, short-term products. Always do your own research, verify current figures with each fund provider, read the prospectus and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. Past performance does not guarantee future results.