Elon Musk, CEO and Chairman of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., argued on October 8 that SpaceX could eventually be worth far more than the current global economy. The company operates in rocket manufacturing, satellite communications, and artificial intelligence.
Musk wrote: "This will sound super crazy, but I see a path to SpaceX being worth orders of magnitude more than the current Earth economy." The International Monetary Fund estimated global economic output in 2026 at approximately $126.3 trillion. One order of magnitude represents a tenfold difference.
On October 9, Musk provided a numerical target, describing a valuation above $1 quadrillion—equivalent to $1,000 trillion—as a possible outcome he had previously considered unattainable. He characterized the probability as accelerating from a small base and clarified that identifying a path did not express extreme confidence. He wrote: ">$1000T now appears to me to be in the set of possible outcomes, whereas before I had thought it was not."
The Strategic Vision
Musk's economic argument centers on using solar energy beyond Earth to power large-scale computing operations. In a June 8 discussion filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he outlined solar-powered artificial intelligence computing in orbit, with computers aboard satellites processing AI workloads. He identified three requirements: launch capacity, solar power, and computing chips.
Lower launch costs would make this expansion more practical by allowing SpaceX to transport substantially more equipment into orbit. Musk's space-based AI ambitions rely on Starship, SpaceX's rocket system, achieving reuse of both stages with short turnaround times. On September 28, Starship completed its first orbital flight and deployed 26 satellites for Starlink, the company's satellite communications business.
Lunar manufacturing represents a further stage in the plan, potentially reducing the need to launch equipment from Earth. Musk described producing solar panels and radiators on the moon, then using an electromagnetic launcher to accelerate AI satellites into space. The moon's lower gravity and lack of atmosphere would support that proposed approach.
Saylor's Response
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy Inc., the largest bitcoin treasury company, responded to Musk's SpaceX valuation outlook on October 8 with a single word: "₿ullish," replacing the initial letter with the bitcoin symbol. The spelling connected his favorable reaction to the cryptocurrency.
Saylor's response follows his earlier comments linking SpaceX to corporate bitcoin ownership. On June 13, he congratulated Musk on the company's public listing and counted SpaceX alongside Tesla among major technology businesses holding bitcoin. His grouping added SpaceX to a set of major technology companies.
SpaceX's quarterly filing disclosed 18,712 bitcoin held as of June 30, unchanged from December 31, 2025. The acquisition cost was $661 million, with a fair value of approximately $1.098 billion as of June 30.
