SpaceX, a leading aerospace company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, is preparing to issue shares based on a total asset valuation of $800 billion, according to several media reports. This is the highest valuation in the world for a non-publicly traded company. This valuation is double what it was during the last stock sale just five months ago. The success of this operation will increase the fortune of the company's owner, Elon Musk, who became the first person in the world with a fortune of $500 billion at the beginning of last October, according to Forbes. Media reports say he still owns about 42% of the company's capital. Officials at SpaceX declined to comment to the France-Presse agency. Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, and the company has established itself as a major player in the aerospace sector, especially with its Falcon 9 rockets, which have launched several missions into space so far, either to place satellites in Earth's orbit or to transport equipment to residents of the International Space Station. SpaceX plans to send its vehicles to the Moon and Mars in the next two years.
