The valuation of Elon Musk’s SpaceX reached $180 billion based on an ongoing secondary share sale.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the company is negotiating with investors to sell insider shares at $97 each, with the deal expected to close in January. This sale does not involve raising new capital, as it is a secondary sale of existing shares.
SpaceX typically conducts these secondary sales approximately twice a year to provide employees and other shareholders with an opportunity to sell their stock.
The latest valuation reflects a 20% increase from SpaceX’s previous high of $150 billion, achieved in July through a secondary sale at $81 per share.
SpaceX holds a near-monopoly in the U.S. satellite launch market due to its reliable Falcon rockets and the difficulties faced by competitors in developing operational rockets.
The company’s Starlink satellite internet service is a significant economic driver, having launched over 5,000 satellites and serving more than two million subscribers.
Its ambitious Starship vehicle, still advancing through flight tests, aims to create a next-generation reusable rocket of unprecedented scale and power.
SpaceX is among the most valuable private companies globally, classified as a “centicorn” or “hectocorn”—a unicorn valued at $1 billion, 100 times over.
The company’s current valuation surpasses the market value of major U.S. defense contractors such as Boeing (approximately $150 billion), Lockheed Martin (around $112 billion), and Northrop Grumman (about $73 billion), as well as leading U.S. telecommunications firms like Verizon (around $154 billion) and AT&T (approximately $115.9 billion), according to FactSet data from Wednesday.
The company did not immediately respond to CNBC’s inquiry regarding the sale process. Bloomberg was the first to report SpaceX’s share price of $97.
