American billionaire Elon Musk has proposed to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) for SpaceX in June — at the time of the rare alignment of Jupiter and Venus, reports FT.
Also this month, on June 28, the businessman will celebrate his birthday.
The rocket manufacturer aims to raise up to $50 billion with a valuation of around $1.5 trillion, making it the largest IPO in history. The previous record belongs to the oil company Saudi Aramco ($29 billion in 2019).
The alignment of Jupiter and Venus on June 8–9 will see the planets "just over one degree apart in the sky." This will be the closest distance in three years. SpaceX has already invited Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley to take key roles in the deal, the newspaper reports.
Speaking about the risks, FT sources noted that any IPO depends on "market conditions and sentiment," which have become "more unpredictable than ever" amid frequent threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs.
Nevertheless, the offering is expected to generate huge demand from institutional and retail investors.
Musk's motivation to go public is driven by the need for funds to develop the new Starship rocket system, intended for reaching Mars.
