Is SpaceX the Once‑in‑a‑Generation Investment Everyone Will Wish They Bought?

Key Points
SpaceX is disrupting the space technology industry and plans to go public soon.
In the meantime, investors have other alternative space stocks they could buy.
SpaceX is poised to be the most exciting IPO stock ever.
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Space: the final frontier.
That opening line from Star Trek still packs a punch. It's arguably more relevant now than ever before, thanks to two developments. One is NASA's Artemis II launch, the first human moon mission in more than 50 years. The other is SpaceX's impending initial public offering (IPO).
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Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with a vision of one day colonizing Mars. SpaceX is now moving forward with an IPO that could value the company as much as $1.5 trillion. Is SpaceX the once-in-a-generation opportunity everyone will wish they bought?
Going boldly
Whether or not SpaceX's valuation actually hits $1.5 trillion in the upcoming IPO, the company currently ranks as the world's most valuable private company. How did it achieve this lofty status? To paraphrase the Star Trek opening, by going boldly where no company has gone before.
SpaceX dominates theglobal marketfor launching satellites (and anything else) into space. Its Falcon 9 is the world's most cost-efficient rocket. It's also the most reliable, with 633 launches and counting.
The company's Starship is the first fully reusable spacecraft designed to carry humans not only into orbit around the Earth but also to the moon, Mars, and even beyond. It can transport up to 150 metric tonnes of fully reusable material. SpaceX hopes to eventually have a fleet of thousands of Starships that will transport crew and equipment to establish a self-sufficient city on Mars.
Starlink is SpaceX's satellite internet service. It has become a cash cow for the company, with 2025 revenue estimated at roughly $11.8 billion. That figure could be just the tip of the iceberg for Starlink's potential, though.
Earlier this year, SpaceX acquired Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, xAI. The combination of these two companies might seem to be an odd pairing. However, AI data centers require massive amounts of electricity. Musk believes that harnessing solar energy in space is the best way to scale, which could make xAI a better fit for SpaceX than it appears at first glance.
Alternatives to SpaceX
Can retail investors buy shares of SpaceX today? Not yet. The only way to invest in SpaceX is indirectly through funds that own small stakes in the space technology company, such as the ARK Venture Fund (NASDAQ: ARKVX) and XOVR ETF (NASDAQ: XOVR). However, several other space stocks currently trade on U.S. stock exchanges.
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) is probably the most similar to SpaceX. The company's Electron rocket has launched 252 satellites into space. Rocket Lab is developing a next-generation rocket, Neuron, that will carry heavier payloads. It also develops other space technology, including spacecraft and components.
Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) is a key partner to NASA. The company's Space Data Network and ground station infrastructure were used for the recent Artemis 2 launch. Intuitive Machines has built over 300 spacecraft and has delivered over 260 kilograms of payload to the moon's surface.
AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) competes with SpaceX's Starlink in the satellite internet services market. Many of the largest communications services companies use AST's technology, including AT&T (NYSE: T), Telefonica (OTC: TELF.Y), and Verizon (NYSE: VZ).
A once-in-a-generation opportunity?
Admittedly, none of those stocks enjoys the level of buzz that SpaceX has. I think that SpaceX will be the most exciting IPO stock in years (and perhaps ever). It could even be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for investors. However, I also view the entire nascent space technology industry as a once-in-a-generation investing opportunity.
Risks abound, though. There's no guarantee that SpaceX or any of the smaller companies competing with it will be huge winners over the long run.
Still, I suspect Star Trek had it right that space is the final frontier. It will probably be a massively profitable frontier -- eventually. Many investors could one day look back and regret not jumping aboard early.
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Keith Speights has positions in Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AST SpaceMobile, Intuitive Machines, Rocket Lab, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.