SpaceX’s Starship lifts off during its fifth flight test, in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S., October 13, 2024. REUTERS
Jan 28 (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s SpaceX is weighing a mid-June initial public offering, aiming to raise as much as $50 billion at a valuation of roughly $1.5 trillion, the Financial Times said on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. SpaceX did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The reported fundraising target doubles prior reports, positioning the rocket and satellite company’s listing as the largest in history in terms of deal size, after Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion IPO in 2019.
The IPO gave Aramco a $1.7 trillion market capitalisation, and it was the only completed deal to have achieved a valuation of more than $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.
While Musk has long expressed a preference for keeping SpaceX private, people 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 U.S. listings, led by SpaceX, with artificial intelligence firms Anthropic and OpenAI also laying early groundwork for potential IPOs.
A rebound in the U.S. 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.
Reporting by Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Harikrishnan Nair
