SpaceX Is Going Public — But Can It Avoid the IPO Graveyard?

TLDR

• SpaceX is planning an IPO that could value the company at up to $1.5 trillion
• Starlink generated an estimated $11.8 billion in revenue in 2025
• SpaceX acquired Elon Musk’s AI company xAI earlier this year
• Many 2021 IPOs lost 70–80% of their value, raising questions about investor trust
• Retail investors can currently only access SpaceX indirectly through funds like ARKVX

SpaceX is moving toward a public offering that could make it one of the most valuable companies ever to list on a U.S. stock exchange. The company is currently valued at up to $1.5 trillion, making it the world’s most valuable private company.

Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. His original goal was to one day colonize Mars. Since then, the company has grown into a dominant force in rocket launches, satellite internet, and now artificial intelligence.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is the world’s most cost-efficient and reliable rocket, with over 633 launches completed. The company’s Starship spacecraft is fully reusable and designed to carry crew and cargo to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, brought in an estimated $11.8 billion in revenue in 2025. That makes it one of the company’s biggest and most stable income streams.

Earlier this year, SpaceX acquired xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup. Musk has said he believes that harvesting solar energy in space could power AI data centers at scale, which is part of why he sees the two companies as a natural fit.

The IPO Risk Factor

SpaceX’s IPO plans come at a complicated time for the market. The 2021 IPO boom ended badly for many investors.

Companies like Allbirds, once valued at $2.2 billion, are now being sold for around $39 million. BuzzFeed’s market cap has dropped from over $1 billion to roughly $23 million. Stocks like UiPath, GitLab, and Warby Parker are still trading 70–80% below their IPO prices.

Those losses have made investors more cautious. SpaceX will need to prove it can deliver real returns, not just hype.

Unlike many companies from the 2021 wave, SpaceX is a scaled business with real revenue. But analysts say the bar for trust is now much higher after years of IPO underperformance.

Retail investors cannot currently buy SpaceX shares directly. The only indirect options are funds like the ARK Venture Fund and the XOVR ETF, which hold small stakes in the company.

Space Stocks Available Now

Several space-related stocks are already publicly traded for investors who want exposure to the sector.

Rocket Lab has launched 252 satellites and is developing a next-generation rocket called Neuron. Intuitive Machines is a NASA partner whose infrastructure was used in the recent Artemis 2 moon mission.

AST SpaceMobile competes directly with Starlink in satellite internet and counts AT&T and Verizon among its partners.

Intuitive Machines’ stock rose 18.53% on the day of this report. AST SpaceMobile was up 10.28%, and Rocket Lab gained 3.27%.

The post SpaceX Is Going Public — But Can It Avoid the IPO Graveyard? appeared first on CoinCentral.