Companies and Brands

Who Actually Owns SpaceX

Andrew Dupont

Published: December 7, 2023 7:45 am

Exploring the universe is something people have wanted to do since the dawn of time. We want to know what else is truly out there, or if we’re alone. The technology for exploring space wasn’t around until recently. Given how long the universe has been around, it’s remarkable it took mankind thousands of years to get to the point where going to space was not only feasible but routine.

If you’re on X, formally known as Twitter, then you’ve seen all of the launches that SpaceX has done recently. There’s still a debate going on about how healthy it is to send so many chemicals into the atmosphere like this. Regardless, the human mind is all about exploring. The closest planet to us is Mars, which has shown indications of being able to sustain life in some capacity. Back in 2021, a spacecraft landed on Mars and was able to send back pictures.

It’s amazing how the surface of another planet can look so similar to different parts of Earth. SpaceX has made so many great strides in such a short amount of time when it comes to space travel. 

Who Owns SpaceX?

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SpaceX is a privately owned company, with its largest shareholder being Elon Musk. You probably already knew Elon has control over it, thanks to how much he talks about it. But what you might not know is he only owns just over 50% of the company. There are a bunch of other private investors and people who are on the board of SpaceX. Gwynne Shotwell is the COO of SpaceX and handles a lot of the day-to-day operations of the company.

Even though he tries his best to be, Elon can’t be everywhere at once. He is the CEO, meaning all decisions that impact the company require a final decision by him. Another billionaire member of the board is Steve Jurvetson. He’s a venture capitalist who’s also been on the board for Tesla. 

Why Isn’t Elon the Sole Owner of SpaceX?

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It’s no secret Elon Musk is the richest man in the world. He’s cracked the code to humanity. But he isn’t the sole owner of SpaceX. This is because the company was founded back in 2002, more than 21 years ago. Before this time, Elon was still very successful. He didn’t have the funds to properly invest in SpaceX the way it needed to be or deserved to be. The company was first founded to explore Mars with the potential to colonize it if we ever needed to.

Elon Musk might have the most fascination out of anyone for trying to escape Earth and see what else is out there. He’s made numerous comments about how great it would be if we could get off this planet. He also knows that the planet isn’t doing as well as it once was, and is more than likely trying to develop a backup plan should anything truly go wrong in his lifetime. 

How Does SpaceX Get to Space?

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There are plenty of different ships and ways for SpaceX to successfully travel from our planet to others. One of the most known rockets SpaceX has created is the Falcon series. These are the rockets we see Elon post every day on social media with excitement. It seems like there’s a new rocket launching every week with how often he posts. So far, there have been nine different Falcon ships that have left the planet and returned for another flight. This might not seem like a lot, but this is quite a remarkable success rate, given how few NASA has sent to space.

Another type of rocket SpaceX uses is the Dragon spacecraft. This is another great rocket that Elon and the company can use to explore space. The next key for SpaceX, the Falcon, and the Dragon program is to get astronauts inside these rocket ships to explore the universe. 

Will SpaceX Ever Go to Wall Street?

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As of December 2023, SpaceX isn’t for sale on Wall Street. However, you can still find ways to invest in it. Some investors can invest in the company on a secondary market. However, they all have to get the board’s approval, unlike how trading stocks works. It’s somewhat surprising Elon hasn’t wanted to take this company public as he did Tesla. He doesn’t need the funds raised, which is why most people take their company public.

What it would do is create interest and become a new form of advertising that it hasn’t seen yet. With a company like SpaceX, it’s smart to try to make it as accessible to the people, through the stock market. This can create a better relationship with the public.