Starship Launch and IPO Filing Mark Critical Week for SpaceX

SpaceX’s draft prospectus, which could become public as soon as later on Wednesday, has prominently positioned a photograph of its Starship rocket, in the very early stages of liftoff, with bright orange flames emerging from its engines and smoke plumes underneath. The photo underlines how the 400-foot-tall rocket is the most significant piece of SpaceX’s investor pitch.

As the prospectus details, Starship is a key factor in the company’s future performance, and the possibility of its delay or failure is the company’s top risk factor. The rocket will “dramatically expand our launch capability through full and rapid reusability combined with unprecedented mass to orbit capability,” the prospectus reveals.