$5,000 Invested in SpaceX Today Could Grow Significantly by 2027

Since it began trading back on June 12, Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) stock has traveled a bumpy road.

The initial public offering was priced at $135 per share, and the first trade on its opening day was at $150. From there, it rose over the course of a couple of days to a peak of $225.64, then started its descent. After dropping as low as $104.83 in August, it seemed to find its footing. On Sept. 9, SpaceX closed at $147.55, 9.2% just below its first trading price.

We'll look at SpaceX's upside, the challenges ahead, and how much a $5,000 investment could grow by September 2027.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Establishing a new infrastructure framework

In the Form S-1 that SpaceX filed before it went public, it ambitiously asserted that its total addressable market was worth $28.5 trillion. But what was more interesting was that the company saw $26.5 trillion of that opportunity coming from artificial intelligence (AI).

It's already starting to show glimpses of what those opportunities look like, as it's been renting out compute capacity from some of its data centers to other companies with large AI operations. Both Anthropic and Alphabet are renting compute capacity from SpaceX, with those deals expected to generate $26 billion in annual revenue. That's significant, considering SpaceX generated just $18.7 billion in sales for all of 2025.

In addition, SpaceX signed a compute deal with ReflectionAI that began in July and generates $150 million per month. Over the full term of the agreement, it is set to generate $6.3 billion in total revenue.

Those deals, however, all involve SpaceX's ground-based data centers. One of its big ambitions is to dramatically increase its cloud compute capacity by launching a constellation of orbital data center satellites that harness solar energy for power 24 hours a day. Such satellites would not be subject to the same energy and resource constraints as traditional data centers.

Earlier this year, SpaceX filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for permission to launch up to 1 million satellites to serve as orbital data centers, and it expects to begin launching its first ones by 2028. That would position it as an early leader in building AI infrastructure in space, and to reap the rewards of a first-mover advantage.

The challenges

Nothing that SpaceX is trying to accomplish will come cheap. In 2025, its AI division racked up the largest capital expenditures:

• AI capital expenditures: $12.7 billion
• Connectivity capital expenditures: $4.1 billion
• Space capital expenditures: $3.8 billion

The company as a whole is also a money-losing operation. In the first three months of 2026, SpaceX lost $4.3 billion, and in the second quarter, it lost $541 million.

In addition, given its position as one of the world's most valuable companies by market cap, expectations are high. SpaceX trades at a premium that leaves it with little leeway for slipups, and the stock price is likely to go through additional periods of volatility.

That said, analysts are still typically bullish about where the stock is headed over the next 12 months.

The SpaceX stock price forecast

Price targets aren't guarantees about where a stock will trade. But they do offer a feel for the experts' sentiment around a stock, as well as whether the potential rewards outweigh the risks.

According to CNN, out of the 41 analysts who cover SpaceX, 76% rate the stock a buy, 17% a hold, and 7% a sell. Among that group, the median 12-month price target is $217. From its Sept. 9 closing price of $147.55, that would amount to a gain of 47%.

With the highest price target in the group at $800, we'll treat that as an outlier, but we can also look at the lowest price target, $75, for a better gauge of the risk-to-reward framework. If SpaceX shares were to fall that far, that would be a loss of roughly 49%.

Purchasing $5,000 worth of shares at $147.55 would yield a little over 33 shares with fractional investing. If SpaceX stock were to reach that median target of $217 by September 2027, that $5,000 initial investment would be worth approximately $7,351. If SpaceX were to fall to $75, the value of that stake would be cut to $2,541.

For a more aggressive investor, the risk-to-reward setup may look appealing, as they may be willing to accept the possibility of 50% downside for the opportunity at nearly 50% upside. But for long-term investors who can handle the volatility, the rewards could be even greater in the decade ahead if SpaceX's ambitious plans bear fruit. It will just require time, patience, and, on SpaceX's end, execution.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.