SpaceX insider share sale values company at $800 billion as IPO plans take shape

SpaceX has launched a secondary share sale that values the company at around $800 billion and is preparing for a potential initial public offering next year, according to a letter sent to shareholders by chief financial officer Bret Johnsen and reviewed by Reuters.

The Elon Musk-led rocket and satellite company has approved an arrangement allowing the firm, along with new and existing investors, to purchase up to $2.56 billion worth of shares from eligible shareholders at a price of $421 per share, Johnsen informed shareholders in the letter dated December 12, Reuters reported.

Johnsen stated that SpaceX is preparing the company for a possible IPO in 2026, while cautioning that whether the listing takes place, when it occurs and at what valuation remains uncertain. He informed shareholders that a public offering, if executed successfully and supported by market conditions, could raise a substantial amount of capital.

According to the Reuters report, SpaceX plans to deploy any new capital to accelerate Starship’s flight rate, build artificial intelligence data centres in space, advance the construction of Moonbase Alpha and support both crewed and uncrewed missions to Mars.

The move towards a potential listing has been driven largely by the rapid expansion of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet business, including the rollout of direct-to-mobile services and continued progress on the Starship rocket programme for lunar and Mars missions, Reuters reported.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bloomberg News and The New York Times also reported on the share sale on Friday.

Musk had earlier hinted at a possible SpaceX IPO in a post on social media platform X earlier this week. Separately, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the matter, that SpaceX could seek to raise more than $25 billion in an IPO that may take place as early as June.

Investor interest has grown amid reports that an IPO could help fund Musk’s long-term Mars ambitions and potentially value SpaceX at more than $1 trillion. The company currently ranks as the world’s second-most valuable private startup after OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, according to data from Crunchbase.

Discussions around a listing are unfolding as the global IPO market shows signs of revival in 2025, following a prolonged three-year slowdown, Reuters reported.