When you hear that weekly Florida rocket rumble, its likely SpaceX — the same company that just made headlines when it became publicly traded in what was estimated to be the largest IPO in history.
Founded in 2002, Elon Musk’s SpaceX opened stock trades Friday, June 12. According to Reuters, SpaceX’s IPO raised roughly $75 billion, valuing the company at roughly $1.75 trillion. The IPO made Musk the world’s first trillionaire and turned many long-standing employee shareholders into millionaires.
That valuation number grew quickly. In February, SpaceX was valued at $1.25 trillion after merging with xAI, Musk’s AI company, which claims social media platform X and its Grok chatbot.
Headquartered in Starbase, Texas, the company has had a major presence on Florida’s Space Coast since the launch of its first Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 2010.
The company since expanded to launching rockets from California and Texas, but has remained a staple of the Brevard economy, employing hundreds of workers supporting engineering and launch operations at the Cape.
As the IPO continues to make waves in the financial world, here’s a closer look at SpaceX’s presence in Florida.
SpaceX Falcon 9 is Florida’s frequent flier
SpaceX’s workhorse rocket is the Falcon 9, which lifts off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station nearly twice per week. Out of the 109 launches from Florida in 2025, Falcon 9 accounted for 101.
While it frequently launches Starlink satellites — SpaceX’s satellite broadband internet — Falcon 9 also delivers customer payloads to orbit and beyond. This includes National Security missions.
NASA’s astronauts also launch to the International Space Station atop the Falcon 9 aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. To date, SpaceX has launched NASA astronauts to the space station 13 times.
The company has also launched multiple private astronaut missions such as the memorable Inspiration 4 and Polaris Dawn missions — both bought and led by current NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. Axiom Space has also seen four astronaut crews travel to the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Dragon.
Falcon 9 is known for its reusable first stage booster, which lands either out at sea on a drone ship or back at Cape Canaveral Landing Zones.
SpaceX sea-faring ships which support Falcon 9 booster and payload cover (fairing) recoveries are frequently spotted at Port Canaveral.
SpaceX’s Starship in Florida
Over at Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX is preparing Pad 39A for its massive Starship launch system. While the company states a launch from the site could come as early as this year, Starship progress is taking time.
While Starship has undergone multiple test flights from Starbase, Texas, the ship has yet to reach orbit and the booster continues to suffer engine woes.
The recent May 22 flight was a success for what SpaceX was trying to achieve. The flight was a test of the new Version 3 (V3), the same that will launch from KSC. The test saw the ship make it to space and coast for upwards of an hour before splashing down in the Indian Ocean. It also deployed Starlink “simulators,” a technology test with a few of the Starlinks sporting onboard cameras that showed views of the ship as it coasted, valuable data for the SpaceX engineers.
Once fully operational, Starship is planned to be fully reusable. This move will drastically reduce launch costs, as the boosters and ships will be refurbished and reflown.
On top of launching Starlink satellites and carrying out the company’s off-world ambitions, Starship is tapped by NASA and the Space Force to deliver future payloads to space.
It is also a large part of the Artemis return to the moon mission plan. SpaceX is contracted to provide the Starship HLS (Human Landing System) which could act as a lunar lander for NASA astronauts as soon as the Artemis IV mission.
SpaceX has vowed to deliver a modified Starship V3 to orbit as part of NASA’s Artemis III mission in 2027, which will be a test of the SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin Mark II lunar landers in Earth orbit.
In Florida, the company is also planning to launch and retrieve Starship at Launch Complex 37 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, previously home to United Launch Alliance’s Delta Heavy.
SpaceX Gigabay at Kennedy Space Center
The company’s looming new facility is already standing as a new Kennedy Space Center landmark. Not too far from NASA’s massive Vehicle Assembly Building, SpaceX’s structure is becoming one of the largest structures on the Space Coast.
Similar to the SpaceX facility in Texas, the Gigabay is intended for stacking and preparing the 232-foot-tall Super Heavy boosters (lower stages) before launch. When Starship is fully assembled on the launch pad, its height exceeds 400 feet.
As Gigabay nears completion, it stands as a sign of future plans for the Space Coast.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: As SpaceX enters second week on market, a look at the company’s presence in Florida
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brooke Edwards, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
