The space economy entered a new era as reports indicate SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) launched the largest IPO in history, pricing shares at $135 and raising approximately $75 billion. The company achieved a valuation approaching $1.8 trillion, with investor demand reportedly exceeding available shares by a wide margin. This event underscores the growing appetite for companies tied to space infrastructure, satellite communications, advanced materials, defense technology, and next-generation aerospace innovation. The listing arrives alongside the Russell 3000 Index's 2026 reconstitution, which added commercial-space names including Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE: FJET), effective June 29, 2026, plugging smaller space companies into benchmarks that trillions of dollars track.

Investors are increasingly viewing space as a multi-trillion-dollar economic opportunity rather than science fiction. As governments and private companies invest billions into next-generation space infrastructure, a growing ecosystem of companies could benefit from the sector's spotlight. The debut week has seen volatility as analysts debate the implications of a dominant, vertically integrated launch leader, yet the structural effect provides a clear center of gravity for capital seeking space exposure.

Sector beneficiaries

Several companies are positioned to benefit from the sector's increased visibility and capital flows. Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ: RKLB) is widely treated as the public market's leading proxy for the integrated launch-and-systems model, reaching record highs in 2026 and expanding through a spacecraft-robotics acquisition. Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) represents the in-space infrastructure and manufacturing layer, supplying structures and components missions depend on. Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ: LUNR) embodies the lunar-economy thesis, building landers and services for the renewed global push to the Moon. Velo3D, Inc. (NASDAQ: VELO) provides metal additive-manufacturing systems for aerospace and defense programs.

Starfighters Space

Starfighters Space operates the world's only flight-ready MACH 2+ supersonic aircraft fleet from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, built around air-launch technology. Newly public and added to the Russell 3000, the company enters this era as a differentiated, niche name. CEO Tim Franta framed the index inclusion as an important milestone reflecting growing awareness of the company's platform. However, Starfighters is an early-stage, small-cap company with a volatile trading history, and broader visibility raises expectations for commercial execution.

SpaceX's public debut could become a defining moment for the space industry, similar to the internet boom. The commercialization of space is accelerating, raising questions about the sector's ultimate scale and the businesses that will profit from it. With the sector's flagship trading on a public exchange and the broadest U.S. index pulling space names into tracked dollars, the orbital economy has finished crossing from private frontier to public market.

Raydium, the highest-volume decentralized exchange on Solana, will list tokenized SpaceX (SPCX) shares for trading within two hours of the company's Nasdaq debut. This listing provides global investors with uninterrupted access to the stock throughout the weekend, circumventing the market hours of traditional brokerages. This development marks one of the largest IPOs in history, targeting a raise of approximately $75 billion at a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion.

SpaceX's public listing is among the first to go live onchain and in traditional markets concurrently on the same day. The offering allocates roughly 30%, or about $22.5 billion, to retail investors, triple the industry norm. While traditional brokerage networks often limit access based on regional restrictions, Raydium's permissionless liquidity pools are open from day one. The asset is backed 1:1 by underlying shares held in regulated custody, distributed through Backpack, giving investors direct price exposure without needing a brokerage account.

24/7 Trading on Solana

Unlike traditional exchanges bound by market hours, Raydium operates on blockchain infrastructure, allowing SPCX to remain fully tradeable onchain even when traditional markets close for the weekend. "On Raydium, SpaceX keeps trading onchain through the weekend for a global investor base at any hour. This is what it looks like when capital markets move onchain," said Ben Ungvari, Chief Marketing Officer at Raydium.

Market Growth and Volume

Tokenized equity trading volume on Raydium crossed $2 billion this month, a milestone that took nine months to reach the first $1 billion and only two additional months to double. Major US stocks, including Tesla, Nvidia, and the S&P 500, already trade through Raydium pools. The protocol has processed over $1 trillion in cumulative trading volume and generated $370 million in lifetime revenue.