--- title: "Musk Furious After SpaceX Stock Get Worst Possible Environmental Grade" description: "SpaceX received the lowest possible Environmental, Social, and Governance rating by company MSCI, angering CEO Elon Musk." date: "2026-06-22" modified: "2026-06-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/space/musk-furious-spacex-stock-worst-environmental-esg" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Environment" - "Future Society" - "Pollution" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "The Industrialists" --- # Musk Furious After SpaceX Stock Get Worst Possible Environmental Grade ![Photo illustration featuring Elon Musk looking at his phone.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images* After a brief pop its blockbuster IPO earlier this month, shares of Elon Musk's SpaceX are starting to drop out of the sky: shares have plummeted back down to around $167 by Monday morning, wiping out all their gains from last week. The initial warning signs were certainly there. As the [*Financial Times* revealed]() over the weekend, SpaceX received a brutal report card one day ahead of its IPO from global index provider MSCI. The firm issues Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings, an index that stakeholders use to evaluate risks and exposure to controversies. SpaceX scored the lowest possible ESG score, putting it on the same level as Russian president Vladimir Putin's Kremlin in the wake of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, per the *FT*. The rocket company's bruising environmental grade angered Musk, who dismissed the warning. "Unfortunately, electric rockets are impossible," the CEO [tweeted]() in response to the news. His comments highlight just how damaging his efforts to bring us closer to space have become for the environment, [concerns he's known to outright ignore]() even after years of championing the electrification of cars and solar power. Beyond its [rockets burning monstrous amounts of fuel]() and belching out massive plumes of polluting gases straight into the stratosphere, SpaceX has also been found violating environmental rules by [dumping toxic wastewater]() and [harming delicate ecosystems]() and [wildlife](). Beyond its environmental score, SpaceX didn't fare much better in the other two ESG categories. SpaceX did especially badly in the "controversy" department, scoring a one out of ten. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise given its mercurial CEO, who has long been embroiled in drama, from [benefiting from rampant corruption](), [making flagrantly racist remarks]() as recently as last week, [making empty promises]() to investors, not to mention his [extensive relationship]() with deceased sex criminal and billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein. In terms of governance — SpaceX scored a 3.2 out of ten — analysts have warned that Musk has [given himself a stunning 80 percent of the voting power](), giving him the power to determine where the company is headed and its overall strategy. "A poor controversies assessment, a very poor governance assessment and a low overall ESG rating should not surprise anyone," Edhec business school program director Frédéric Ducoulombier told the *FT*. "This is very close to a governance horror story for public-market investors." Musk, who has a long track record of bristling against being held accountable, already has a strained relationship with ESG ratings. In 2022, his carmaker Tesla was [dropped from the widely-followed S&P 500 ESG Index]() over concerns of [racial discrimination](), poor working conditions — and, ironically, a "lack of a low-carbon strategy." At the time, the now-trillionaire erupted in fury, arguing the S&P 500 had "[lost their integrity]()." "I am increasingly convinced that corporate ESG is the Devil Incarnate," he [added](). **More on SpaceX stocks:** [*SpaceX Investors Are Losing a Colossal Amount of Money*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()