SpaceX set for IPO

On Thursday, even before the U.S. stock markets closed, SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, announced the price of its initial public offering.

"Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) today set the price for its initial public offering of 555,555,555 Class A shares at an offering price of $135.00 per share," the company said in a press release. The shares are expected to be listed on June 12, 2026, on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and the Nasdaq Texas, under the ticker symbol "SPCX."

The offering is expected to close on June 15, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. In addition, SpaceX has granted subscribers a 30-day option allowing them to purchase up to 83,333,333 additional shares of its Class A common stock at the initial IPO price.

Even though it is a loss-making company, SpaceX’s IPO is expected to be the largest ever. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, could gain $200 billion in one fell swoop if the stock price holds steady. According to Bloomberg, Musk’s fortune would then reach $988 billion.

As revealed in the IPO prospectus, Musk’s ambitions are particularly grand: he envisions AI data centers orbiting Earth, factories on the Moon, mining on asteroids, and colonies on Mars. He is already investing tens of billions in rockets, AI, and a massive chip factory. Starlink, the satellite internet service comprising 10,000 satellites, is currently the only real success.

Investor enthusiasm is fueled by Musk’s track record with Tesla and the classic “fear of missing out.” In 2010, Musk took Tesla public. Those who bought shares for €1,000 at the time saw their value climb to over €300,000. Up to 30% of the shares are available to retail investors, far more than usual.

Critics, however, point to the company’s losses, its highly concentrated governance structure (Musk holds 85% of the voting rights), and a potential conflict of interest with his other companies. If the stock price exceeds expectations, Musk could become the world’s richest person.