---
title: "SpaceX Investors Are Losing a Colossal Amount of Money"
description: "SpaceX investors may have anticipated their stock would go to the Moon, but so far it's been a sobering journey."
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/spacex-investors-losing-money"
categories:
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
---

# SpaceX Investors Are Losing a Colossal Amount of Money

![A photo illustration featuring a thirty-something man watching his laptop with his hands folded and a disappointed expression.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/spacex-investors-losing-money.jpg>)
*Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock*

Elon Musk’s SpaceX IPO was off to a gangbusters start.

Even at an unprecedented valuation of almost $2 trillion, shares shot into space like precious cargo atop a Falcon 9 rocket, soaring from an opening price of $151 to an all-time high days later of over $225 early Tuesday.

Everything seemed like it was going to plan. A strategically-timed AI startup acquisition early last week convinced even more retail investors to jump on board, buying into the now-trillionaire's promises of going to the Moon, both financially and literally.

But by mid-week, that [initial enthusiasm](<https://futurism.com/space/spacex-stock-rapid-decline>) was [met with a brutal reality check](<https://futurism.com/space/spacex-stock-fallen-down-170s>). Shares [have been trailing since late Tuesday](<https://futurism.com/space/spacex-stock-rapid-decline>), wiping out almost all of the gains of the average investor who bought shares after the IPO, as [*CNBC* reported](<https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/18/the-average-spacex-buyer-post-ipo-is-almost-under-water-after-two-day-slide.html>) on Thursday.

And anyone who bought close to the stock's peak earlier in the week has seen their investments go up in smoke, in a bruising rejoinder to all of that pent-up hype.

Just after the market opened on Monday, shares are hovering around a glum $170, [down more than five percent](<https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/22/spacex-stock-ipo-rally-selloff.html>) following an extended Juneteenth weekend break that could hint at further declines this week.

However, everything is timing. Shares are still up well over 30 percent since SpaceX's IPO.

Still, the bear case is as apparent as ever. Despite its enormous market cap, SpaceX has been losing billions of dollars a year. Its merger with Musk’s AI startup xAI has raised its risk profile even further by weighing it down with debt and a steady drip of controversy.

As with anything involving Musk, the stakes seem larger than life: either his loyal fans will ultimately make it big, or they'll follow him into ruin.

**More on SpaceX:** [*SpaceX Stock Continues Decline After Initial Spike*](<https://futurism.com/space/spacex-stock-rapid-decline>)

## 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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)