So apparently Elon Musk might finally let us mere mortals buy a piece of SpaceX, and the entire space stock universe is having a collective meltdown. In the best possible way.
Here’s the tea: Reports are swirling that SpaceX could go public in 2026 with a jaw-dropping $1.5 trillion valuation. To put that in perspective, that’s bigger than most countries’ entire economies. When a reporter asked Musk about it on X, he basically said “yep, sounds about right.”
And just like that, every space stock on the market started acting like it had been shot out of a rocket. EchoStar jumped 40% in five days, Rocket Lab soared 35%, Redwire climbed 34%, AST SpaceMobile gained 30%, and Firefly Aerospace rose 23%.
Now, you might be thinking, “Why are these other companies going crazy when it’s SpaceX that might go public?” Great question. It’s basically the financial equivalent of the cool kid finally showing up to the party – suddenly everyone else looks way more interesting.
Tony Bancroft from Gabelli Funds explains it perfectly: SpaceX going public acts like a “sector validator.” Translation: If Elon’s rocket company is worth $1.5 trillion, maybe these other space companies aren’t as risky as everyone thought. It’s like when Tesla proved electric cars weren’t just golf carts with delusions of grandeur.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. When the biggest player in your industry is valued at over a trillion dollars, suddenly companies like Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile start looking like bargains. It’s the financial version of “if SpaceX is worth THAT much, what are these guys actually worth?”
The psychology shift is huge. For years, space investing was seen as throwing money at sci-fi dreams. Now? It’s starting to look like critical infrastructure. The kind of stuff that powers economies, not just launches billionaires into orbit for Instagram photos.
Drew Wandzilak from Alumni Ventures nailed the vibe: “The biggest impact of a SpaceX IPO is psychological. It tells the market that this ecosystem is entering its growth phase.” In other words, space isn’t just for rocket scientists anymore – it’s for your portfolio too.
The space economy is projected to hit $1 trillion by 2040, and suddenly that doesn’t sound like fantasy. When you’ve got companies proving they can make money launching satellites, providing internet from space, and basically turning orbit into the next frontier for business, those valuations start making sense.
So while we wait to see if Musk actually pulls the trigger on this IPO, the rest of the space sector is already benefiting from the hype. Sometimes in investing, perception becomes reality faster than you can say “rocket fuel.”
Just remember: space stocks can be as volatile as a rocket launch. But if you’re looking for exposure to what might be the next big thing, these companies just got a whole lot more interesting.