SpaceX completed the largest U.S. initial public offering in history, raising $75 billion [1] when shares began trading on Friday.
The move transforms the aerospace company from a private entity into a public giant, providing the capital necessary to scale its most ambitious interplanetary and orbital projects.
The company priced its shares at $135 each [2] on Thursday, June 11, 2026 [6]. To reach the total capital goal, SpaceX sold 555.6 million shares [3]. The stock debuted in New York, where it immediately saw high demand, delivering a 19% first-day return to those who bought into the IPO [4].
This market performance pushed the total valuation of SpaceX to approximately $1.77 trillion [5]. The offering creates a massive wealth-creation event for early investors and Elon Musk, the company's founder and CEO.
Musk said the outcome met his expectations. "I'm not sure that this could have gone much better," Musk said [7].
Company leadership intends to use the proceeds to fund the development of Starship and the expansion of the Starlink satellite constellation. The capital is also earmarked for increased defense work, as the company deepens its ties with government security contracts.
By transitioning to a public company, SpaceX gains a more liquid way to raise funds for the high costs of rocket development. This financial flexibility is critical as the company attempts to lower the cost of access to space, and establish permanent lunar and Martian infrastructure.
“SpaceX completed the largest U.S. initial public offering in history, raising $75 billion.”
The SpaceX IPO signals a shift in the commercial space race, moving from venture-backed growth to public market scrutiny. A $1.77 trillion valuation places the company in an elite bracket of global corporations, providing Musk with the financial leverage to accelerate Starship development and Starlink's global rollout without relying solely on private funding rounds.
