It was 07:25 am on 13 October 2024 at Starbase, near Boca Chica on the Texas side of the US/Mexico border, and on the launch pad stood the biggest rocket ever made. Its engines fired and it climbed into the skies over the Gulf of Mexico to cheers and screams in the SpaceX control room. But the launch was not the main event. Seven minutes later, the massive rocket booster that had blasted the craft towards space fell back to Earth – until its engines reignited as planned, slowing its descent and guiding itself with pinpoint precision so it could be captured by a clasp called Mechazilla, or "the chopsticks", by engineers who achieved something never done before.
Amid the whoops and high-fives in SpaceX's control room, Elon Musk told his millions of social media followers that this was a "big step towards making life multiplanetary" – a reusable rocket that would slash the costs of launching things into orbit, to the Moon and one day to Mars. A company with a futuristic vision, led by what some would call a maverick unconventional genius, SpaceX and Musk have drawn comparisons with Tony Stark, leader of Stark Industries and also known as Iron Man of the Marvel Comics Universe.
“SpaceX's IPO could make Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire, with UK retail investors set to get £1.5bn in shares.”
Now, the chance for ordinary people to own a piece of that vision is almost here. On 12 June, trading will begin in a chunk of shares in a company that, up to now, only Musk and a select group of rich private institutions have been able or invited to own. More than one UK stockbroker has told the BBC there has been "a surge" in interest in signing up for the chance to buy shares in this exciting company, controlled by a talismanic individual, that has captured the world's imagination. UK retail investors are likely to be allocated around £1.5bn worth of shares, and one of the UK's leading investing platforms hopes this could encourage a new generation of investors.
Simon Belsham, Chief Client Officer at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "While we recognise this IPO might not be right for everyone, it's an exciting moment for many of our clients. We're expecting this might be a first foray into investing for many." Even those who do not apply directly to buy shares will likely become part-owners: if you have retirement savings invested in shares – as almost everyone with a pension plan does – then it is very likely you will soon be a part-owner of a company that sits at the crossroads between technology and geopolitics and, as Musk would have it, the very future of the human race. The chance for normal Earthlings to buy shares in SpaceX is one of the most important moments in the history of stock markets and is close at hand – and one that will almost certainly make Elon Musk the world's first ever trillionaire. On the first few pages of the prospectus – or sales brochure – …