SpaceX Nears IPO Filing While Pitching Orbital AI Data Centers

SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is preparing to go public after years of private funding. The company has been discussing an orbital data‑center system that would host AI workloads in space.

Industry observers expect the IPO prospectus to be filed within weeks. NYU Stern professor Aswath Damodaran recently valued SpaceX at $1.2 trillion, which sits roughly one‑third below the $1.75 trillion to $2 trillion range the company is targeting for its offering. Musk said the orbital data‑center concept would need about 10,000 Starship launches each year, while SpaceX completed only 165 missions in 2025 and has not yet demonstrated a fully reusable Starship flight.

The valuation gap shows investor skepticism about the near‑term profitability of the space‑based compute idea. Achieving 10,000 Starship launches per year would demand a production rate far beyond current capabilities, highlighting the technical and financial hurdles ahead. Investors should watch the timing of the IPO filing and upcoming Starship test flights for clues about the orbital data‑center plan’s feasibility.