SpaceX IPO Rumors Ignite: Is Elon Musk’s Space Giant Going Public?

Rumors of a SpaceX initial public offering are reaching escape velocity. Market chatter suggests Elon Musk's aerospace juggernaut could be gearing up for a historic market debut—a move that would instantly become one of the most anticipated listings in financial history.

The Speculation Engine

Whispers from institutional investors and banking corridors point toward serious preparations. While SpaceX remains officially private, the sheer scale of its Starlink constellation and reusable rocket dominance creates natural pressure for public capital. The company's valuation trajectory reads like a sci-fi plot—each funding round lofting it further into the financial stratosphere.

Why Wall Street Is Salivating

Analysts see multiple catalysts. Public markets crave pure-play exposure to the new space economy, and SpaceX owns the category. A successful IPO wouldn't just raise capital; it would create a benchmark asset, allowing traditional funds to finally place bets on orbital infrastructure. Retail investors, meanwhile, are desperate for a slice of the Musk mythology beyond electric cars.

The Regulatory Launchpad

Any listing faces unique hurdles. Space assets, spectrum rights, and government contracts create a regulatory maze far more complex than typical tech offerings. Then there's Musk's own unpredictable governance—a factor that would make any underwriter's due diligence team break out in a cold sweat.

The Bottom Line

A SpaceX IPO would be less a corporate milestone and more a cultural event—a symbolic transfer of humanity's spacefaring future from venture capital playbooks to public market tickers. It promises to make millionaires, test market rationality, and quite possibly distract everyone from whatever crypto is doing that week. The countdown may have already begun.

Key Takeaways

• Elon Musk's SpaceX is reportedly hearing pitches from investment banks this week as the space exploration company considers going public in what could be the largest IPO to date.
• Next year could be a big one for IPOs: AI startups OpenAI and Anthropic are among the other private companies reportedly exploring going public next year.

Wall Street may be headed for a year of blockbuster IPOs in 2026. And a company led by Elon Musk could be leading the way.

Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly hearing pitches this week from investment banks interested in advising on what could be the largest initial public offering in history, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. That news advanced reports that the space exploration company was considering going public from last week, when Bloomberg said SpaceX is targeting a mid-to-late 2026 IPO that WOULD raise $30 billion and value the company at about $1.5 trillion, among the biggest companies in the S&P 500.

If SpaceX hits its IPO targets, it would surpass Saudi Aramco, the Saudi state-owned oil company, as the largest debut in history. Aramco raised about $29 billion when it went public in 2019. (SpaceX is reportedly in the process of buying insider shares at a price that values it at $800 billion, double its valuation from this summer.) The company didn't respond to Investopedia's request for comment in time for publication.

Why This Is Important

IPO activity often reflects the prevailing mood on Wall Street, with listings rising when Optimism is high and vice versa. The IPO market began to return to normal in 2025 after years of being pressured by high interest rates.

SpaceX stock can't be traded yet, but some market watchers are already betting on a big response from investors when it can. Saudi Aramco debuted with a market capitalization of nearly $1.9 trillion; users of online prediction market Polymarket on Monday put the chance of SpaceX's market cap finishing its first day of trading above $2 trillion at about 14%.

A listing of that size would make SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, already the world's richest person, even wealthier. Musk's SpaceX stake accounts for more than a quarter of his $470 billion fortune, according to Bloomberg, which estimates that he owns about 42% of the company. Holding a stake anywhere close to that size when SpaceX goes public could make Musk the world's first trillionaire far earlier than some thought possible.

Musk has for years said he has no interest in taking SpaceX public, which he worried would derail his plans to facilitate the colonization of Mars. But he and others have lately discussed the notion that insufficient electricity is restraining the AI boom, and that sending data centers into space, where they can draw on solar energy, could help.

Musk last week called “accurate” a report that SpaceX was considering going public to fund efforts to develop orbital data center technology. SpaceX has reportedly floated the idea of using Starlink satellites to host AI workloads as part of its recent pitch to investors.

Related Education

SpaceX is one of several massive companies considering a public offering next year. ChatGPT Maker OpenAI, valued at $500 billion in October, has reportedly discussed a public offering with bankers. Competitor Anthropic is reportedly preparing for an IPO, according to the Financial Times, which also reported the company was targeting a $300 billion valuation in a funding round. Data software company Databricks, TikTok parent ByteDance and fintech Stripe are also rumored to be exploring IPOs next year. 

Investors have been waiting years for the return of IPOs. Hundreds of companies went public via IPO or SPAC merger in 2021, spurred by post-pandemic liquidity and rock-bottom interest rates. Activity fell off a cliff in 2022 when the Federal Reserve began raising rates to address soaring inflation. The IPO market stayed cold until this year, when activity has finally picked back up, albeit at a more modest pace than during the pandemic bonanza.