SpaceX’s $75 billion IPO plan: Why Elon Musk’s space company is heading to public markets now

SpaceX is preparing to take one of the biggest launches in its history, this time, not into orbit but into public markets.

According to multiple reports, the company led by Elon Musk could file for its initial public offering (IPO) as early as this week or next. If the plan goes ahead, SpaceX may raise more than $75 billion, making it the largest IPO ever, far bigger than Saudi Aramco’s $29.4 billion listing in 2019.

The expected valuation is just as massive. Reports suggest SpaceX could be valued at over $1.75 trillion, putting it among the most valuable companies in the world.

Why this IPO matters

SpaceX today is much more than a rocket company. Its launch business plays a key role in US space missions and is backed by large government contracts. But its biggest money-maker is Starlink, its satellite internet service, which brings in billions in steady revenue.

The company has also expanded into artificial intelligence through its acquisition of xAI, Musk’s AI startup behind the Grok chatbot. This brings together rockets, satellites and AI under one umbrella.

Why SpaceX needs the money

Even with strong revenues, SpaceX needs a lot of money to fund its plans. It is developing Starship, a next-generation rocket designed for missions to the Moon and Mars. These projects are expensive and will take years to complete.

SpaceX's IPO ambitions are also linked to its vision of building orbital infrastructure, including ​data centres in space. The addition of xAI has increased costs even more. Training advanced AI models needs huge computing power, and estimates suggest the AI business could be spending close to $1 billion every month.

By going public, SpaceX can access much larger pools of money. This will help it compete with AI rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic. 

To be sure, OpenAI and Anthropic also might go public this year, and their private valuations already have soared into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

The strategy behind going public

Until now, SpaceX has raised money privately from big investors. But its current plans may be too large for private funding alone.

An IPO will give the company fresh capital and also provide publicly traded shares, which can be used for deals, partnerships and employee rewards.

Reports suggest SpaceX could use a dual-class share structure. This means insiders, including Musk, will still keep strong control over the company even after it goes public, something many big tech firms already do.

What's the SpaceX IPO timeline?

The process will likely begin with a filing with US regulators. After that, SpaceX will go through a review phase, release its official documents and present its plan to investors.

If everything stays on track, SpaceX could go public as early as June 2026.