Elon Musk\u2019s aerospace company is reportedly targeting a mid-June IPO because there will be a spectacular planetary alignment that month. Yes, really.<\/b>
\nAfter more than two decades as a private company, it was beginning to feel as though Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX was waiting for some sort of cosmic sign to go public. Now, rumors suggest it actually was.
Musk confirmed SpaceX IPO plans for 2026 in December, but the exact timing of the offering remained an open question. That changed on Wednesday, when the Financial Times reported that the aerospace manufacturer is targeting mid-June because Jupiter and Venus will be in conjunction earlier that month, according to five sources familiar with the matter.
These sources also confirmed that SpaceX is seeking to raise up to $50 billion at a valuation of roughly $1.5 trillion, according to the Financial Times. This would make it the largest IPO in history, blowing the current record holder\u2014Saudi Aramco\u2019s $29 billion IPO\u2014out of the water. They added, however, that these figures are preliminary and subject to change.
Gizmodo was not able to independently verify these claims, and SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.An IPO written in the stars
According to The Planetary Society, Jupiter and Venus\u2014the two brightest planets in the night sky\u2014will appear only one degree apart from June 8 to 9. That\u2019s about the width of your thumb held at arm\u2019s length, and the spectacle will be visible to the naked eye.
This type of alignment, known as a conjunction, occurs because planets orbit the Sun at different speeds. As a result, they periodically appear very close together from Earth\u2019s perspective despite remaining hundreds of millions of miles apart in space.
From June 16 to 17, the thin waxing crescent Moon will sit just below Venus and alongside Jupiter, Mercury, and the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini, creating another impressive celestial display, according to EarthSky.
But sources told the Financial Times that astronomical significance isn\u2019t the only reason SpaceX is eyeing a June IPO. Another reason to target that month is Musk\u2019s birthday on June 28, they said.2026 could be a banner year for SpaceX
SpaceX\u2019s IPO is one of the most anticipated business events of 2026. Over the course of two decades as a private company, the aerospace manufacturer has achieved dominance in the spaceflight industry. SpaceX not only serves as the primary launch provider for NASA and the U.S. Space Force but also owns and operates the largest satellite constellation in orbit.
Musk expects to maintain this dominance through rapid scaling and innovation. In addition to going public, SpaceX plans to launch the next iteration of its Starship megarocket\u2014the biggest one yet\u2014in March of this year and perhaps even send one to Mars. The company is also aiming to launch the first third-generation Starlink satellites in the first half of 2026.
The funding Musk hopes to raise with this IPO won\u2019t just go toward rockets and satellite internet, however. SpaceX also expects to use some of the new capital to develop orbital data centers to support the AI boom. Musk has said that SpaceX could achieve this by \u201csimply scaling up Starlink V3 satellites.\u201d
With no true equal in the aerospace industry and its sights set on highly ambitious goals, SpaceX might seem like a no-brainer investment. But analysts previously told Gizmodo that valuation risk, execution risks tied to aspirational projects, post-IPO volatility, and uncertain timing around key technical milestones could temper that appeal.
Whether SpaceX and its IPO live up to their astronomical expectations remains to be seen. No matter the outcome, 2026 will be a landmark year for this aerospace giant.<\/p>\n