For years, SpaceX has captivated the media, investors, and the general public, largely driven by its pioneering reusable rocket launches, the expansion of its Starlink satellite network, and the charismatic leadership of its founder and CEO, Elon Musk.
However, nothing in the company's 24-year history quite matched the scale and impact of its initial public offering. The sheer magnitude of the IPO garnered widespread interest, as SpaceX priced its 555.6 million shares at $135 each, successfully raising $75 billion. This monumental event established it as the largest IPO in history and propelled Elon Musk to become the world’s first trillionaire.
Having chronicled SpaceX's inception, challenges, and triumphs since its early days, we continue to track its trajectory. This page serves as your comprehensive resource for all pertinent SpaceX IPO news, including significant updates now that the company has gone public.
On its inaugural full day of trading, SpaceX shares continued their upward momentum. By 2:30 pm ET, the stock had climbed over 15%, reaching $186.15.
SpaceX shares commenced trading on June 12 at $150 on the Nasdaq public exchange, marking an 11% surge for what was arguably the most anticipated market debut ever. This upward trend persisted throughout the day, with shares soaring 30% during midday trading. SpaceX ultimately closed at $160.95, reflecting a 19% increase.
As anticipated, the trading volume was exceptionally heavy. Robinhood reported experiencing "record-breaking traffic" on its trading platform in the hours following SpaceX’s landmark entry into public markets.
During a CNBC interview on June 12, SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell made several noteworthy remarks. One comment, in particular, is likely to resonate with Tesla shareholders: Shotwell suggested that a "merger between SpaceX and Tesla might make Elon’s life a little easier."
Among the primary beneficiaries of the IPO were the underwriting banks, which collectively earned approximately $500 million in fees. According to the WSJ, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley emerged as the leading winners in this regard.
As the stock price ascended, Musk utilized X, his social media platform, to express profound gratitude to SpaceX employees. "I love the incredible people of SpaceX beyond words," he posted on Friday afternoon. He also reposted various IPO-related content, including an image of insiders sporting green shoes, seemingly a nod to the "green shoe option." This provision in an IPO underwriting agreement allows underwriters to sell up to 15% more shares than initially planned if investor demand is robust.
For an in-depth analysis of these developments and the far-reaching implications of SpaceX's new status as a publicly traded entity, Senior Reporter Sean O’Kane and AI Editor Russell Brandom hosted a special episode of our Equity podcast, available for listening on various platforms.
Given the immense size of this offering, significant financial mechanisms were at play behind the scenes, raising initial questions about when the stock would commence trading. SpaceX debuted on Nasdaq, and the official Nasdaq listing, which will record the definitive price, is now available. Nasdaq also features video footage of the SpaceX team ringing the opening bell.
However, the stock price represents only a fraction of the overall narrative. For the most current information, financial news outlets such as Bloomberg and CNBC remain invaluable resources, both maintaining liveblogs and providing continuous coverage of any market fluctuations or issues encountered during the stock's debut.
We now delve into some of the more substantial and impactful figures, along with the staggering amounts detailed in the company’s S-1 registration form.
For instance, in 2025, SpaceX reported a loss of $4.9 billion on revenues exceeding $18 billion. This figure, however, is merely a segment of the more than $37 billion in losses accrued since SpaceX’s founding.
As CEO, Elon Musk maintains a dominant position, holding approximately 85.1% of the company’s voting power. Further details on this, and other interesting statistics, will be explored in the subsequent section titled “Who wins and who doesn’t.”
Another compelling statistic that caught our attention is 4,400. This is the estimated number of SpaceX employees who could potentially become millionaires following the IPO, as reported by the NYT.
The Equity podcast offered its perspective on the IPO, noting that "Elon Musk can’t hear you over the sound of his $1.75 trillion IPO."
SpaceX's position as the world’s largest IPO in history guarantees substantial payouts for certain investors, employees, and, most notably, Elon Musk himself.
Elon Musk's paper wealth has surged to over $1,000,000,000,000 after SpaceX’s historic IPO, solidifying his status as the world’s first trillionaire at a time when his public persona is more polarizing and powerful than ever. With more than 50% of the voting power, Musk will wield a monarchical level of control over the publicly traded SpaceX, a degree of influence that far exceeds what most other tech founders enjoy, significantly increasing his power through this IPO.
The primary beneficiaries of the SpaceX IPO are largely Elon Musk and a select few within his inner circle. While Musk holds the largest stake in SpaceX by billions of shares, other individuals also stand to gain significantly, and a detailed breakdown of ownership stakes is available.
Lower-tier SpaceX SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) investors face uncertainty regarding their true holdings until post-IPO lock-up periods expire. Following SpaceX’s public debut, these investors may encounter hidden fees, prolonged payout delays, and even the risk of outright fraud.
The S-1 registration document provided an unprecedented glimpse into SpaceX, revealing its financial health and diverse business operations. This document underwent continuous amendments as the IPO date approached, and we diligently tracked these changes to bring you our findings.
The SpaceX IPO filing offers a detailed view of a business heavily reliant on its Starlink satellite internet service, burdened by over $37 billion in cumulative losses, and focused on future prospects through its xAI division. The document is replete with details on AI initiatives, ambitious Starship development goals, and Elon Musk's central role.
The S-1, coupled with recent Starship rocket test flight data, presents a more realistic outlook for Starship’s path to reusability, one that might temper expectations for both the company's staunch supporters and its critics in the coming years.
SpaceX has also incorporated new language into its S-1, warning prospective investors of potential future share dilution. This addition has further fueled rumors of a possible merger with Tesla.
In the period leading up to the IPO, SpaceX secured a series of deals, primarily involving the sale of computational capacity to bolster its balance sheet.
Initial coverage on May 20 revealed that Anthropic is set to pay xAI $1.25 billion per month for compute resources.
However, opinions diverge on the precise duration of Anthropic’s lease with SpaceX, with Elon Musk reportedly downplaying the length of the contract.
Google has also agreed to pay SpaceX $920 million per month for compute. A Google representative characterized this arrangement as a short-term deal designed to meet unexpected demand for its recently launched AI products.
This article was originally published at 10 a.m. ET on June 12, 2026, and has since been updated with new coverage concerning the SpaceX IPO, share price movements, and other related events.
The Editorial Staff at AIChief is a team of professional content writers with extensive experience in AI and marketing. Founded in 2025, AIChief has quickly grown into the largest free AI resource hub in the industry.