Elon Musk reportedly wants to time SpaceX’s likely record-setting initial public offering to coincide with a rare planetary alignment and his own birthday in June.
The world’s richest man has floated going public in mid-June – when Jupiter and Venus will be in “conjunction” for the first time in three years, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
It’s also close to when the billionaire will celebrate his 55th birthday on June 28.
SpaceX – the private aerospace company that has huge rocket contracts with NASA and offers the Starlink satellite internet service – is aiming to raise up to $50 billion at a $1.5 billion valuation, according to the FT.
That would be the largest IPO in history by money raised, beating Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion go-public deal in 2019.
The timing and the size of the IPO were fluid and could change, sources told the FT.
Musk is known for adding quirky touches to his big-dollar business dealings. In 2018, he infamously tweeted plans to take Tesla public at $420 per share, a reference to marijuana.
In 2022, he appeared to make another 420 reference when he offered to buy the company then known as Twitter for $54.20 per share, or $44 billion.
Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley are all expected to take lead roles in SpaceX’s IPO, according to multiple reports.
Other banks could also be tapped to participate.
SpaceX’s chief financial officer Bret Johnsen confirmed to employees in December that SpaceX could go public at some point in 2026, though he stressed that the exact timing of a deal and whether it would happen at all remained “highly uncertain.”
Johnsen has also been holding talks with SpaceX’s existing private investors since December, with an eye to holding a mid-year IPO, according to the FT.
The cash infusion could fund some of Musk’s most far-fetched pet projects, like establishing colonies on the Moon and Mars.
He also wants to launch data centers for artificial intelligence in space.
The Post has reached out to SpaceX for comment.
