SpaceX Completes Historic IPO and Debuts on Nasdaq

SpaceX officially entered the public markets on June 12, 2026, with an initial public offering that raised $75 billion [1]. The company’s stock, which debuted on the Nasdaq, closed its first day of trading at $161.11 per share [1].

Key takeaways

• The SpaceX IPO raised $75 billion, surpassing the amount raised by all other U.S. IPOs combined over the previous two years [1].
• Shares were priced at $135 for select institutional investors, while the stock opened to the public at $150 before rising to a closing price of $161.11 [1, 2].
• The company’s market valuation reached over $2 trillion following its first day of trading [1].
• Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire as a result of the stock's performance on its debut day [1].

A Record-Breaking Market Debut

The offering was the largest in history, exceeding the $29 billion raised by Saudi Aramco during its 2019 public debut [1]. SpaceX’s valuation of more than $2 trillion places it above the combined market capitalizations of major American corporations like Walmart and General Motors [1]. During the first 30 minutes of trading, the stock price climbed from its $150 opening to $165, before ultimately settling at $161.11 [1].

For investors, the process of acquiring shares involved two distinct paths. Select investors and institutions had the opportunity to purchase shares at the $135 IPO price through brokerages including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, RobinHood Markets, SoFi Technologies, and E*TRADE [2]. For the general public, purchasing shares required placing market or limit orders through online brokers once the stock began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SPCX [2].

The Future of Tech Conglomerates

The successful debut of SpaceX is viewed as a potential precursor to other high-profile public offerings, specifically for artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, which are each valued at nearly $1 trillion [1]. The inclusion of SpaceX in the public market follows a 24-year journey for the company, which was founded in 2002 with the goal of making humanity a multiplanetary species [1].

Why it matters

The IPO marks a significant shift in corporate power, as SpaceX joins established tech giants such as Microsoft, Apple, and Nvidia in the public markets [1]. The event also highlights the growth of the commercial space industry, which is characterized by an increasing number of launches and rising upmass [2]. While the industry is considered high-risk and high-reward, the debut of SpaceX provides a new avenue for investors, including those who may choose to gain exposure through exchange-traded funds rather than direct stock ownership [2].