The space sector just got its biggest jolt in years. Reports surfaced Wednesday that SpaceX could file paperwork for a long-anticipated IPO as soon as this week, sending shares of publicly traded space companies soaring in a wave of speculative buying. AST SpaceMobile, Rocket Lab, and Firefly Aerospace all rallied on the news, signaling investor appetite for what would be one of the decade's most significant tech public offerings.
The whispers started circulating Wednesday afternoon and quickly became a roar. SpaceX, Elon Musk's privately held rocket and satellite giant, could be preparing to file for an initial public offering this week, according to reports that sent the entire space sector into a buying frenzy.
Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Rocket Lab, and Firefly Aerospace all surged on the news, with investors betting that a SpaceX IPO would legitimize the commercial space sector and attract a flood of institutional capital. The rally reflects years of pent-up demand for exposure to what many see as the crown jewel of the new space economy.
SpaceX has long been the white whale of tech IPOs. Valued at roughly $350 billion in private markets as of late 2025, the company operates the world's most successful commercial launch business through its Falcon and Starship rockets, while simultaneously deploying Starlink, a satellite internet constellation that's already serving millions of customers globally. An IPO would give retail investors their first chance to own a piece of both businesses.
But Musk has historically resisted taking SpaceX public, citing his desire to avoid the short-term pressures of quarterly earnings calls and maintain focus on the company's Mars colonization mission. As recently as 2024, he told investors that an IPO remained years away. What changed remains unclear, though the company's ballooning valuation and the maturation of its Starlink business may have shifted the calculus.
The ripple effects are already visible across the space sector. Rocket Lab, which went public via SPAC in 2021, has been positioning itself as a SpaceX competitor in small satellite launches. AST SpaceMobile is building a space-based cellular network that could eventually compete with or complement Starlink. Firefly Aerospace, another launch startup, recently went public and has been ramping up its manifest.
All three companies stand to benefit if a SpaceX IPO brings a wave of new investors into space stocks. The sector has struggled with volatility since the SPAC boom collapsed in 2022, leaving many space companies trading well below their debuts. A successful SpaceX offering could reset sentiment and attract the institutional capital that's largely stayed on the sidelines.
