On a Friday in June 2026, executives of SpaceX rang the opening bell at the Nasdaq stock exchange, marking the start of trading for the most valuable company ever to go public. The rocket ship maker, owned by Elon Musk, was valued at $1.77tn (£1.4tn) in its initial public offering (IPO), making it the largest stock market debut in history. For Musk, already the world's richest person, the floatation pushed his net worth to $982.6bn according to Forbes, meaning a small rise in the share price would make him the first person ever to reach a trillion dollars. But what exactly is SpaceX, why is its IPO so significant, and what does it mean for UK investors?
SpaceX is a private company founded by Elon Musk in 2002 with the goal of making space travel affordable and eventually colonising Mars. Over nearly two and a half decades, it has grown into a conglomerate that includes the satellite internet service Starlink, the artificial intelligence firm xAI, the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and its core rocket business. It has raised $75bn (£56bn) from financial firms ahead of the IPO, selling shares at $135 each. Only 5% of the total shares were made available at first, meaning their value could rise or fall depending on demand. If they trade at or above $135, SpaceX will immediately be one of the most valuable public companies in the world. Some analysts, such as those at the brokerage Oppenheimer, have set a target of $190 per share.
“SpaceX's record-breaking IPO and Elon Musk's path to becoming the world's first trillionaire explained for UK readers.”
To understand why this IPO is so momentous, you need to know about Elon Musk's journey from a difficult childhood in South Africa to becoming the world's first trillionaire. Born in Pretoria, Musk taught himself computer programming and sold his first game at age 12. He moved to Canada and then the US, studying economics and physics at the University of Pennsylvania. After dropping out of a physics PhD at Stanford, he founded two tech startups during the dotcom boom, one of which became PayPal and was sold to eBay for $1.5bn in 2002. He poured that fortune into SpaceX, determined to reduce the cost of space travel. The company has since launched hundreds of rockets, supplied the International Space Station, and built the Starlink satellite network. Musk also runs Tesla, the electric car maker valued at $1.2tn. His net worth has fluctuated wildly but in October 2025 he became the first person to exceed $500bn, and in November Tesla shareholders approved a potential $1tn pay deal.
For UK readers, the SpaceX IPO matters because it offers a rare chance to invest in a company that has been private for decades. British investors like Peta Cooper, a copywriter from Cornwall, plan to buy shares through their brokers. However, the risks are high: SpaceX is not profitable. Last year it generated $18.7bn in revenue but recorded an operating loss of $4.3bn. For comparison, Meta – the parent company of Facebook – made over $200bn in revenue and $60bn in profit. The IPO is seen by some as a huge bet on artificial intelligence, since SpaceX now owns xAI, and rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic are also planning to go public. Richard Hunter, head of markets at interactive investor, noted that the Nasdaq index has fast-tracked SpaceX's inclusion, which guarantees additional buying pressure from tracker funds. But economist Sinead O'Sullivan, a former Nasa worker, described it as "a huge roll of the dice", adding that she doubts the share price reflects future value.
Q: What is SpaceX's IPO and why is it historic? SpaceX's initial public offering is the largest ever, valuing the company at $1.77tn. It raised $75bn from investors before trading began. The company is offering shares at $135 each, and if they hold that price, SpaceX will be one of the most valuable public companies in the world.
Q: Will Elon Musk become a trillionaire from this IPO? Elon Musk's net worth before the IPO was $982.6bn, according to Forbes. If SpaceX's share price rises even slightly above the IPO price, he will become the world's first trillionaire. His majority stake in SpaceX, combined with his holdings in Tesla and other ventures, would push his wealth over the trillion-dollar mark.
Q: How can UK investors buy SpaceX shares? UK investors can buy SpaceX shares through their stockbrokers, just like any other US-listed stock. The shares trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol (likely SPCX). However, because only 5% of shares were initially released, demand may be high and prices could be volatile. Investors should be aware that SpaceX is not profitable and the stock is considered speculative.
What happens next depends on how the market values SpaceX in the coming weeks. The company plans to use the capital raised to further its mission of making life multiplanetary, including building colonies on Mars. But the share price will be influenced by investor enthusiasm for AI companies, SpaceX's ability to turn a profit, and broader market conditions. For Elon Musk, the milestone of becoming a trillionaire may be reached within days, but the long-term success of his space empire remains uncertain.