SpaceX insider share sale sets $800 billion valuation amid possible IPO, letter shows

Dec 13 (Reuters) - SpaceX is preparing to go public next year and has opened a secondary share sale that would value the company at $800 billion, according to a letter to shareholders sent by the company's CFO Bret Johnsen and reviewed by Reuters.

The Elon Musk-led company's move towards a public listing, which could rank among the largest global initial public offerings, has been largely driven by the rapid expansion of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet business, including plans for direct-to-mobile service and progress in its Starship rocket program for missions to the moon and Mars.

In the letter dated December 12, Johnsen said SpaceX has approved an arrangement where new and existing investors and the company will buy up to $2.56 billion of shares from eligible shareholders at $421 a share.

"We are preparing the company for a possible IPO in 2026. Whether it actually happens, when it happens, and at what valuation are still highly uncertain, but the thinking is that if we execute brilliantly and the markets cooperate, a public offering could raise a significant amount of capital," Johnsen said.

SpaceX aims to use the capital to ramp Starship's flight rate, deploy artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in space, build Moonbase Alpha and send uncrewed and crewed missions to Mars, Johnsen said.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bloomberg News and The New York Times reported the share sale on Friday.

Musk hinted at a possible SpaceX IPO in a post on social media platform X earlier this week. Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the matter, the rocket and satellite company is looking to raise over $25 billion in an IPO that could come as early as June.

Investors have welcomed reports that SpaceX was mulling a potential IPO that would fund Musk's Mars ambitions and value the rocket and satellite company at more than $1 trillion.

SpaceX ranks as the world's second-most valuable private startup after ChatGPT maker OpenAI, according to data from Crunchbase.

Talks over a listing plan are unfolding against the backdrop of a resurgence in the IPO market in 2025 after a three-year dry spell.