SpaceX Posts $7.8B in Revenue in First Earnings Since IPO, Stock Falls on $18B Capex Surge

SpaceX reported Q2 revenue of $7.81 billion, up 92% from $4.1 billion a year earlier, beating the $6.93 billion analyst consensus, but shares fell roughly 8% after hours due to an $18.37 billion capital expenditure surge, including $15.83 billion in AI infrastructure. Starlink subscribers doubled to 12 million, generating $4.29 billion in revenue, while AI compute revenue hit $2.56 billion, up 247%, on contracts with Anthropic, Google, and Reflection AI. The company's net loss narrowed to $541 million from $1 billion a year earlier.

SpaceX Posts $7.8B in Revenue in First Earnings Since IPO, Stock Falls on $18B Capex Surge - SpaceX reported Q2 revenue of $7.81 billion, up 92% from $4.1 billion a year earlier, beating the $6.93 billion analyst consensus 1 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/spacex-spcx-earnings-live-updates-q2-2026.html - Starlink subscribers doubled to 12 million, generating over half of total revenue with 66% year-over-year growth 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacex-quarterly-revenue-surges-debut-200534226.html - AI compute revenue hit $2.56 billion, up 247%, on contracts with Anthropic, Google, and Reflection AI 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacex-quarterly-revenue-surges-debut-200534226.html - Capital expenditures surged to $18.37 billion — with $15.83 billion in AI infrastructure — sending shares down roughly 8% after hours 1 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/spacex-spcx-earnings-live-updates-q2-2026.html - Net loss narrowed to $541 million from $1 billion a year earlier, with loss per share of $0.09 versus $0.26 expected 1 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/spacex-spcx-earnings-live-updates-q2-2026.html SpaceX reported quarterly revenue of $7.81 billion in its first earnings release as a public company, nearly doubling the $4.1 billion it generated a year earlier and topping the $6.93 billion Wall Street consensus. The results, disclosed on Monday, were driven by surging demand for Starlink satellite internet and a nascent AI compute business that barely existed 18 months ago 1 . Despite the revenue beat and a narrowing net loss of $541 million — down from $1 billion in Q2 2025 — shares fell roughly 8% in extended trading after the company revealed capital expenditures of $18.37 billion in the quarter, more than six times the year-ago figure. The bulk of that spending, $15.83 billion, went toward AI infrastructure, exceeding the $13.22 billion analyst estimate 1 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/spacex-spcx-earnings-live-updates-q2-2026.html 2 . The results mark a milestone for a company that went public on June 12 in the largest IPO in history, raising approximately $75 billion at a valuation of $1.75 trillion. Shares opened at $150, above the $135 IPO price, and peaked at $160.95 in their first session. As of pre-market trading on August 5, the stock was at $125.33, down roughly 8% from the IPO price 3 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/12/spacex-stock-jumps-2-trillion.html 4 . Starlink: 12 Million Subscribers and Counting Starlink, the satellite internet division, accounted for more than half of SpaceX's total revenue. The segment generated $4.29 billion, up 66% from a year earlier, as the subscriber base doubled to 12 million — up 17% from Q1 alone 2 . Average revenue per user declined 22% year-over-year, reflecting international expansion into lower-priced markets and the introduction of cheaper service tiers. Still, Starlink's operating income rose 79%, suggesting margin improvement from scale 2 . SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell indicated the company plans to pursue mobile carrier partnerships and build ground-based infrastructure to offer comprehensive mobile connectivity services 2 . AI Compute Emerges as Second Growth Engine SpaceX's AI business generated $2.56 billion in quarterly revenue, up 247% year-over-year, on compute contracts with Anthropic, Google, and Reflection AI. The segment has rapidly scaled from a near-standing start, reflecting the intense demand for GPU capacity among frontier AI labs 2 . The company spent $15.83 billion on AI-related capital expenditures in the quarter alone, dwarfing the $749 million it invested in AI infrastructure a year earlier. SpaceX said it expects to build more than 2 gigawatts of compute capacity in 2026 and roughly 10 gigawatts by the end of 2027 2 . Operating losses in the AI segment narrowed significantly, though the company did not provide a standalone profitability figure for the division 2 . Space Division Grows Steadily The legacy space business — commercial launches, government missions, and Starship development — posted 29% revenue growth year-over-year. While still a core part of SpaceX's identity, the segment now represents a smaller share of total revenue as Starlink and AI have scaled 2 . SpaceX said it expects total capital expenditures to remain at similar levels for the next two quarters, implying roughly $36 billion in additional spending through year-end 2 . Market Reaction and Outlook SpaceX shares had rallied 9.4% during the regular session on Monday ahead of the after-hours earnings release, only to give back those gains and more as investors absorbed the scale of AI spending. The stock fell 7.5% in extended trading and dropped an additional 2.3% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, hovering around $125 1 . The company said it expects to reach a $100 billion annual revenue run-rate by December 2026, implying a sharp acceleration in the second half of the year. Analysts had been broadly constructive heading into the report, but the capex figures exceeded even the most aggressive estimates 2 . For investors, the earnings underscore the tension at the heart of SpaceX's investment case: a company with accelerating topline growth across three distinct business lines, but one willing to spend aggressively enough on AI infrastructure to delay profitability. The net loss of $0.09 per share was better than the $0.26 consensus estimate, but the path to sustained earnings remains dependent on returns from billions in AI capex 1 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/spacex-spcx-earnings-live-updates-q2-2026.html 2 . Companies mentioned Further sources The stories that matter, in one email. Free — unsubscribe anytime.