The company, formally Space Exploration Technologies, began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX. The Guardian's market coverage said shares were sold in the IPO at $135, began public trading at $150 and closed at $160.95, up about 19% from the offer price. Business Insider also reported the first-day rise and the $75bn amount raised.
That makes the story a capital-markets event before it is a wealth story. The offering moved a formerly private company into the public market at a scale normally associated with the largest listed technology groups, while giving public investors exposure to a business that still reported losses and concentrated voting control.
Table: SpaceX first-day IPO and financial metrics
| Metric | Reported value |
|---|---|
| IPO price | $135 a share |
| First public trade | $150 a share |
| First-day close | $160.95 a share |
| Amount raised | $75bn |
| Closing market value | About $2.1tn |
| Latest annual revenue cited in reporting | $18.7bn |
| Latest operating loss cited in reporting | $4.3bn |
| Elon Musk voting control cited in reporting | About 85% |
Source: SEC filing, Guardian and Business Insider reporting, 12 June 2026.
The Guardian reported that SpaceX generated $18.7bn in revenue last year and recorded a $4.3bn operating loss. It also reported that Elon Musk controlled roughly 85% of the company's voting shares. Those two figures define the main investor-risk question: whether public-market buyers are paying for future growth while accepting both current operating losses and founder control.
The company's own case is that the listing gives it capital for a long investment cycle. The Guardian quoted the SpaceX prospectus as saying the company's mission is to build systems and technologies needed to make life multiplanetary and extend space exploration. Elon Musk also told staff and investors that the public listing would support SpaceX's long-term capital needs.