Elon Musk took SpaceX public on Friday, marking the largest IPO in history and valuing the rocket firm at $2 trillion. The Nasdaq debut follows a quarter‑century of relentless development, from the faltering Falcon 1 to the dominant Starlink broadband network and Musk’s AI and social‑media ventures under the X brand.

Musk admitted he gave SpaceX less than 10 percent chance of success when the company was founded in 2002 with a modest $50 million budget. Early launches repeatedly failed, and a fourth Falcon 1 attempt in 2008 finally reached orbit, unlocking a pivotal NASA contract for the larger Falcon 9 and Dragon cargo capsule.

By charging lower launch fees and scaling rapid satellite deployments, SpaceX built a profitable engine that now fuels Starlink, the company’s biggest revenue source. The IPO propelled Musk to become the world’s first trillionaire, cementing SpaceX as a cornerstone of the emerging space‑economy infrastructure.