[Stocks. Photo Credit to Pixabay]

On June 15, 2026, SpaceX completed the largest IPO (Initial Public Offering) in history.

The company began trading under the SPCX ticker on Nasdaq on June 12.

Selling 555.6 million shares at an IPO price of $135 each, SpaceX initially raised around $75 billion, before underwriters fully exercised their option to purchase an additional 83.3 million shares, bringing the total raised to an unprecedented $86 billion.

This IPO shattered the $25.6 billion record that was held by Saudi Aramco when it went public back in 2019, nearly a third of what SpaceX raised.

Additionally, the demand for SpaceX stocks was at times around four times the initial offering, with total demand exceeding $250 billion.

To purchase SpaceX shares, investors had to use platforms such as Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Robinhood, SoFi, and E*TRADE.

Traditionally, when major companies go public, they only set aside a small slice of around 5-10% of their shares to everyday investors and the rest to institutional investors such as hedge funds and banks.

In contrast, SpaceX set aside around 30% of its shares for everyday investors.

By the close of Friday, shares, initially priced at $150, climbed to $160.95, pushing the company’s market capitalization over $2 trillion.

With stock prices continuing their upward trajectory in the following days, this saw SpaceX as one of the most valuable public companies in the world, surpassing both Amazon and Microsoft, reaching an intraday high of $225.64 on June 16.

Regarding SpaceX’s business, it is divided into three segments: its Falcon and Starship rockets, its satellite internet service Starlink, and an artificial intelligence division that was formed after a merger with Elon Musk's startup xAI earlier in the year.

Out of the three segments, Starlink has been the most financially successful as it accounts for approximately 61% of the FY2025’s revenue.

As of March 2026, it also boasts over 10.3 million customers across 160 countries.

Despite its growth, SpaceX has yet to achieve profitability.

In 2025, its aggressive expansion into new business lines resulted in a net loss of approximately $5 billion.

On June 22nd, SpaceX stock prices fell by 16.4%, wiping out almost $600 billion in market value.

Analysts point to a combination of factors driving this decline.

One factor was the trading option on June 16, allowing investors to bet against the stock for the first time.

Another contributing factor was SpaceX’s multibillion-dollar bond offering announcement.

This bond, intended to refinance a short-term bridge loan into long-term debt and repay existing borrowings, became a concern for investors.

The stock’s debut, characterized by its volatility, has also raised concerns for major companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, both of which filed their IPOs confidentially.

SpaceX's debut may influence the timing and valuation of future technology IPOs, as investors and underwriters become more cautious about pricing upcoming listings.

Nevertheless, investors who purchased shares at the offering price of $150 still have their stocks at a price similar to where they bought them.

SpaceX’s initial public trading period saw a record-breaking debut quickly followed by a sudden drop within less than two weeks, attracting both hopeful expectations and questions about whether it can meet them.