SpaceX is preparing to raise about US$75 billion through an imminent initial public offering, according to a company filing released on Wednesday, in what would become the largest IPO in history.
If the stock market debut, which is expected next week, proceeds as planned, founder Elon Musk could move closer to becoming the world’s first trillionaire.
The company, officially known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp, said it plans to offer 555.6 million shares at US$135 each.
The share sale would value SpaceX at about US$1.77 trillion, placing it among the world’s most valuable companies. Only six firms in the S&P 500 are currently worth more, with Nvidia leading the ranking at US$5.2 trillion.
Musk, who also runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, is not selling any of his own SpaceX shares as part of the offering. After the IPO, he would retain 82.4% of the company’s voting power.
Forbes currently estimates Musk’s net worth at US$825 billion, including a SpaceX stake valued at US$542 billion.
SpaceX confidentially filed to go public in April. Founded in 2002, the company has become central to Musk’s long-term goal of building a “self-sufficient city on Mars.”
Since its launch, SpaceX has secured major aerospace contracts, including work with Nasa, which relies on the company’s rockets for many of its missions.
The company has also moved into the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector, joining rivals such as Anthropic and OpenAI in the race to expand AI technology.
SpaceX recently acquired Musk’s xAI as part of a broader strategy to develop solar-powered infrastructure capable of supporting the growing energy needs of the AI boom.
Anthropic, best known for its Claude AI chatbot, filed paperwork this week for its own public listing, while OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is widely expected to follow.
The recent wave of high-profile public offerings has been seen as an effort to raise capital for the data centres needed to power next-generation AI systems.
