SpaceX Stock Craters 23% Since Nasdaq-100 Inclusion
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- SpaceX stock has plummeted nearly 23% since being added to the Nasdaq-100, posting losses in nine of the last 10 trading days as of Friday's close
- SpaceX shares fell 5.43% on Friday alone, extending a six-session losing streak that followed Thursday's Starship test flight abort in Texas
- Starship's Thursday launch window (5:45 p.m. CT) was scrapped after some engines failed to start, triggering an automatic launch abort; Musk said two Raptor engines will be replaced with another attempt planned for early next week
- A previous Starship test in May also failed: the upper stage was sent toward the Indian Ocean and the Super Heavy booster missed a controlled Gulf of Mexico landing after five of its 33 Raptor engines failed to reignite
- The FAA ordered an investigation into the May mishap and on Monday cleared SpaceX to resume test trials
- SpaceX's Nasdaq-100 inclusion was fast-tracked after just 15 trading days, versus the months-long wait previously required
- The Thursday test was Starship V3's first flight since SpaceX raised a record $85.7 billion in its June IPO — the largest ever — pricing shares at $135
Why it matters: SpaceX has lost nearly 23% since joining the Nasdaq-100, with Friday's 5.43% drop leaving IPO buyers at $135 underwater. Each Starship failure — Thursday's engine abort, May's upper-stage loss with five of 33 Raptors failing to reignite — directly pressures a stock priced on aggressive launch cadence, though the FAA's Monday clearance means regulators aren't gating further tests.
