TLDR
- SpaceX stock rose 1% in premarket trading Tuesday, trying to end a seven-day losing streak that saw it fall 21%
- CEO Elon Musk warned short sellers on X, saying their survival odds are low
- About 17% of SpaceX’s tradable stock is sold short — compared to roughly 1% for Apple
- SpaceX scrubbed a Falcon 9 launch carrying 24 Starlink satellites on Monday, plus its 13th Starship test flight
- More shares will become available to trade after Q2 earnings on August 4, raising fears of early investor sell-offs
SpaceX stock was trading at $121.02 in premarket Tuesday, up 1%, as it looked to snap a seven-day slide that wiped out 21% of its value. The stock is now down around 47% from its all-time high of nearly $226 and has closed below its $135 IPO price for three straight days.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., SPCX
The attempted rebound came after a rough Monday. SpaceX aborted a Falcon 9 launch that was carrying 24 Starlink satellites before liftoff. The company said the payload was safe. It also scrubbed its 13th Starship test flight after an engine issue. That test is now rescheduled for July 23.
Falcon 9 has completed more than 80 launches in 2026 alone, so an abort isn’t unusual. Starship is still in development — it’s a fully reusable rocket designed to cut orbit costs by around 90% versus Falcon 9.
Late Monday, Musk posted on X warning short sellers directly, suggesting their odds of survival are low.
High Short Interest Raises Squeeze Risk
About 17% of SpaceX’s available float is currently sold short. That’s an unusually high figure for a large tech company. For comparison, Apple sits at around 1%.
The high short interest is partly a structural issue. Most SpaceX stock is still held by early investors under trading restrictions. The tradable float is small, which makes the short percentage look larger by comparison.
A short squeeze becomes more likely when short interest is this elevated. If the stock starts moving up, short sellers may rush to buy back their positions, which can push the price even higher.
Musk has a history of publicly battling short sellers — most famously during Tesla’s run, where shorts have lost an estimated $27 billion since June 2021. His warning on X follows a similar playbook.
Earnings and Unlock Dates in Focus
More shares are expected to hit the market after SpaceX reports Q2 earnings on August 4. Early investors who have been restricted from selling could begin to exit, which is one reason the stock has been under pressure.
We will post our Q2 2026 financial and operational results on August 4, 2026. We will host a live audio-only webcast at 3:30 p.m. CT the same day → https://t.co/6VXtOOai3L pic.twitter.com/ER84j615qc
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 20, 2026
SpaceX structured its IPO with a phased share release rather than a blanket six-month lockup, meaning stock has been and will continue to come to market in waves.
For now, a successful Starship test on July 23 could give the stock a short-term lift. Q2 earnings on August 4 will be the next major catalyst.
Musk’s warning came as SpaceX stock sat at its lowest levels since the IPO.
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