SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 12, 2026, minutes before the company’s initial public offering (IPO) became the largest in history. The rocket carried 29 Starlink satellites, which will expand the network to over 10,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. The launch occurred at 8:12 a.m. EDT, just 45 minutes before the IPO filing opened on Wall Street. SpaceX officials celebrated the event in a live feed, with one employee shouting, 'Go SpaceX, go Starlink to all SpaceXers, new and old. Let's see what's out there. Occupy Mars!'
The Falcon 9 rocket, which has completed more than 600 flights since its debut in 2010, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral. The vehicle’s first stage landed at Landing Zone 1 on the Florida coast, marking another successful reuse of the rocket. The mission was the 107th flight of the Falcon 9, which has become a workhorse for both commercial and government satellite launches. SpaceX has reused the same first-stage booster multiple times, reducing costs and accelerating deployment of Starlink’s global broadband network.
The IPO, valued at $1.77 trillion, will see SpaceX issue 555 million shares at $135 each, raising $75 billion. The filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission includes details about the company’s plans to expand Starlink’s coverage to remote regions and develop new launch capabilities. SpaceX’s valuation would surpass the combined market caps of all major U.S. automakers, according to financial analysts. The IPO is expected to be the largest in history, dwarfing previous records set by companies like Alibaba and Facebook.
SpaceX’s launch and IPO come amid growing demand for satellite internet services. The Starlink network, which began operations in 2019, now serves over 2 million users globally. The company has also secured contracts with the U.S. military and NASA for satellite deployments. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, has not publicly commented on the IPO but has emphasized the importance of expanding Starlink’s role in global connectivity. The launch and IPO mark a pivotal moment for the aerospace industry, with SpaceX poised to dominate both commercial and government space missions.