Published Thu, Jan 29, 2026 · 06:30 AM
[BENGALURU] Elon Musk’s SpaceX is weighing a mid-June initial public offering (IPO), aiming to raise as much as US$50 billion at a valuation of roughly US$1.5 trillion, the Financial Times said on Wednesday (Jan 28), citing sources familiar with the matter.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. SpaceX did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
SpaceX was most recently valued at about US$800 billion in a secondary share sale last month, positioning the rocket and satellite company’s listing among the largest in history in terms of deal size.
Investor interest in space companies has risen sharply, fuelled by expanding government demand for imaging, data and communications satellites, and a growing commercial appetite for space-based technologies.
The IPO gave Aramco a US$1.7 trillion market capitalisation, and it was the only completed deal to have achieved a valuation of more than US$1 trillion.
SpaceX chief financial officer Bret Johnsen has held talks and Zoom calls with existing private investors since December to explore a mid-2026 IPO, the newspaper added.
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While Musk has long expressed a preference for keeping SpaceX private, sources familiar with his thinking indicated that the company’s growing valuation and the success of its Starlink satellite-internet service have prompted a shift in strategy.
SpaceX is lining up four Wall Street banks for leading roles in its market debut, Reuters reported last week, citing a source.
Global financial markets are bracing for a year of potentially mega US listings, led by SpaceX, with artificial intelligence firms Anthropic and OpenAI also laying early groundwork for potential IPOs.
A rebound in the US equity capital market activity began in 2025 after three years of limited activity, partially as the result of ongoing volatility and geopolitical tensions.
Space technology is a tightly held sector but is sought after by investors keen for exposure in light of rapid development prospects, analysts have said. REUTERS
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