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Elon Musk's SpaceX files for what could be a historic IPO

Roshni Majumdar with AFP, AP, Reuters
May 21, 2026

SpaceX could seek to raise $75 billion in the IPO, in what could be the biggest-ever market debut. Musk, set to become SpaceX's CEO, CTO, and chair of the board, will retain majority voting control.

SpaceX believes its long-term prospects center around AI and related infrastructure projects [FILE: 2020]
SpaceX believes its long-term prospects center around AI and related infrastructure projects [FILE: May 30, 2020]Image: Linn/Eibner Europa/IMAGO

Elon Musk's SpaceX on Wednesday publicly filed for an initial public offering, opening the books on the company that has revolutionized rocket technology.

The private rocket maker, satellite and artificial intelligence company plans to trade under the ticker symbol SPCX on the Nasdaq stock exchange, according to the IPO prospectus. The filing could pave the way for a June listing.

A prospectus is a legal document that every private company that transitions to a public one is required to file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission so potential investors know about the risks and opportunities that come with the company.

The regulatory filing did not put a dollar figure on the amount that Musk hopes to raise at the IPO, but several media reports put that amount at $75 billion (roughly €64.5 billion).

If the company surpasses the targeted valuation of about $1.7 trillion, Musk's net worth would surpass 13 figures, making him the world's first trillionaire.

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SpaceX's IPO filing: What to know

The filing shows Musk's SpaceX generated about $18.7 billion in revenue but recorded an operating loss of $2.6 billion ($4.9 billion net loss) after heavy spendings on AI technologies and a bigger rocket.

SpaceX's biggest financial engine was its Starlink satellite business that generated more than $11.4 billion in revenue in 2025, up nearly 50% year-on-year.

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But SpaceX's other units have been struggling. 

Its social media platform X and artificial intelligence business xAI, both of which were acquired by SpaceX in February, recorded $3.2 billion in revenue for the full year 2025 but posted an operating loss of $6.4 billion.

Musk is the only who can fire himself

The company has adopted numerous provisions that, taken together, severely limit shareholder rights and protect Musk from being fired by anyone other than the billionaire himself.

That raises questions over the extent of power that Musk has over the company and whether there are enough safeguards to keep him in check.

Under the current structure, Musk would control about 85% of the company's voting power while holding around 42% of equity. 

SpaceX acknowledged in its filing that that could pose a risk for potential  investors. It noted that the world's richest person, set to become the company's CEO, CTO, and chair of the board after the IPO, "will have the power to control the outcome of matters requiring shareholder approval, including election of all our directors."

At Tesla, another of Musk's ventures where he is the company's largest individual shareholder, he has faced resistance from other shareholders.

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SpaceX will be able to pitch the offering to investors — in what's known in Wall Street parlance as a "road show" — 15 days after making its prospectus public. In this case, that works out to June 4. 

Edited by: Rana Taha

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