SpaceX’s filing for a historic IPO ties directly to its 407‑foot Starship, the company’s flagship reusable launch vehicle. The billionaire founder views a Martian future as a means to extend humanity’s longevity, while the rocket promises to lift 100 tonnes into orbit.

Starship’s design, powered by 33 Raptor engines, could slash launch costs and enable mass satellite deployments. Investors see the vehicle as the linchpin for expanding Starlink, which generated $4.4 bn in operating income last year.

Yet the rocket remains unproven. A May test lost a booster, and a pad‑firing blast highlighted technical gaps. Even if operational, Starship would need to run thousands of flights annually to meet SpaceX’s ambitions.

SpaceX’s strategy hinges on Starship’s success; without it, the company can’t deliver on its promise of orbital data centres or large‑scale Mars missions. The IPO’s fate rests on the rocket’s future reliability.