SpaceX: The Debut Confirmed The Largest IPO In Recorded Market History At $75 Billion Raised Beating Saudi Aramco’s 2019 Record By Roughly Three Times While Musk Said From Texas On A JPMorgan Livestream That SpaceX Had Been Cash-Flow Positive Since 2015 And Needed The Capital For “A Significant Growth Phase” Including 100,000 Satellites And AI Data Centres In Space
According to The Washington Post, CNBC, NPR and CNN, SpaceX went public on Friday on the NASDAQ under the ticker SPCX, closing its historic first day of trading at $160.95 per share; a 19% gain from the $135 IPO price.
In after-hours trading the stock climbed a further 3.5% to $166.76 by 6:30 PM ET, pushing SpaceX’s market capitalisation to approximately $2.2 trillion. The offering raised roughly $75 billion; the largest IPO in recorded market history, surpassing Saudi Aramco’s 2019 record by nearly three times. More than 500 million shares were traded during the session.
Elon Musk rang the opening bell from Texas while SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell rang it at the NASDAQ in New York City. On a JPMorgan Chase livestream before the debut, Musk said SpaceX had been cash-flow positive since around 2015.
He said he wanted to take SpaceX public to raise capital for “a significant growth phase,” with plans to put over 100,000 satellites into orbit for communications and to build artificial intelligence data centres in space. The debut made Musk the world’s first trillionaire, based on his combined stakes in SpaceX and Tesla.
SpaceX acquired Musk’s AI startup xAI in February 2026 in a $250 billion deal, bringing with it the Grok AI models, the X social network, and associated AI infrastructure. The only currently profitable part of SpaceX’s business is its Starlink satellite internet division; the company reported a net loss of $4.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026.
SpaceX’s IPO prospectus also disclosed a $3.8 billion write-down on the X brand, reflecting the loss in value since Musk renamed Twitter. Morningstar valued SpaceX at $780 billion, noting “very high” uncertainty and governance complications given Musk’s control over multiple companies simultaneously.
To check out our previous coverage on SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the financial markets, read our articles here.
