ENS

Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.

Lesson Info

Type
Article
Level
4 / B2
Published
Title
SpaceX Enters the Stock Market
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2026-06-13-spacex-enters-stock-market/

Lesson Content

Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio

Understanding: Main Idea, True or False, Put Events in Order, Multiple Choice

Language: Words That Go Together

Use It: Discussion Builder, Sentence Unscramble, Discussion Questions

Answers

(1) Are you interested in investing?

(2) Do you like space themes in movies or on TV? Why or why not?

A rocket with steam gathering around its base as it gets ready to launch.
SpaceX's Starship rocket.

Vocab List

debut (n.) — The first public appearance or launch of something.
trillionaire (n.) — A person whose total wealth is worth one trillion dollars or more.
Nasdaq (n.) — A major U.S. stock exchange where people buy and sell shares in companies.
investor (n.) — A person or group that puts money into something to make a profit.
ticker (n.) — A short group of letters used to identify a company’s stock.
analyst (n.) — A person whose job is to study information carefully and give an opinion.
IPO (n.) — An initial public offering, when a private company first sells shares to the public.
share price (n.) — The price of one share in a company.
launch (n./v.) — The start or release of something new, such as a product, service, or stock.
ambition (n.) — A strong goal or plan to achieve something big.
Reading

SpaceX has taken a major step from private company to public giant. On June 12, the rocket, satellite, and AI company began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX. Its initial public offering, or IPO, raised $75 billion, making it the largest stock market debut in history.

The company sold shares at $135 each, giving it a value of about $1.77 trillion before trading began. Once investors were able to buy and sell the stock, the price quickly rose. It opened at $150 and later closed at $160.95, lifting SpaceX’s value above $2 trillion.

The successful launch of the stock also pushed Elon Musk into a new financial category. Because he owns a large part of SpaceX, the rise in the share price made him the world’s first trillionaire, according to several financial reports.

Many investors are excited because SpaceX is not only a rocket company. Its Starlink satellite internet service already reaches millions of customers, and the company says future growth may come from artificial intelligence, space-based data centers, and long-term plans connected to Mars. Supporters see SpaceX as a company that could shape several industries at once.

However, the IPO has also raised serious questions. SpaceX lost money in 2025, and some analysts argue that its value depends more on future hopes than present profits. Critics also worry about Musk’s strong control over the company and the wider problem of extreme wealth. For ordinary investors, the share price may move sharply if confidence changes.

For now, the market has given SpaceX a warm welcome. The harder test will come later, when investors judge whether the company can turn its huge ambitions into steady results instead of only exciting stories about the future.

SpaceX Enters the Stock Market

Level 4 Article Source: cnbc.com, bbc.com
Warm-up → or → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

A rocket with steam gathering around its base as it gets ready to launch.
SpaceX's Starship rocket.

SpaceX has taken a major step from private company to public giant. On June 12, the rocket, satellite, and AI company began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX. Its initial public offering, or IPO, raised $75 billion, making it the largest stock market debut in history.

The company sold shares at $135 each, giving it a value of about $1.77 trillion before trading began. Once investors were able to buy and sell the stock, the price quickly rose. It opened at $150 and later closed at $160.95, lifting SpaceX’s value above $2 trillion.

The successful launch of the stock also pushed Elon Musk into a new financial category. Because he owns a large part of SpaceX, the rise in the share price made him the world’s first trillionaire, according to several financial reports.

Many investors are excited because SpaceX is not only a rocket company. Its Starlink satellite internet service already reaches millions of customers, and the company says future growth may come from artificial intelligence, space-based data centers, and long-term plans connected to Mars. Supporters see SpaceX as a company that could shape several industries at once.

However, the IPO has also raised serious questions. SpaceX lost money in 2025, and some analysts argue that its value depends more on future hopes than present profits. Critics also worry about Musk’s strong control over the company and the wider problem of extreme wealth. For ordinary investors, the share price may move sharply if confidence changes.

For now, the market has given SpaceX a warm welcome. The harder test will come later, when investors judge whether the company can turn its huge ambitions into steady results instead of only exciting stories about the future.

Speaker: American Female  Duration: 2:39  YouTube

Listen Closely

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

SpaceX has taken a major step from private company to public giant. On June 12, the rocket, satellite, and AI company began trading on the Nasdaq under the (1) SPCX. Its initial public (2) , or IPO, raised $75 billion, making it the largest stock market debut in history.

The company sold shares at $135 each, giving it a value of about $1.77 trillion before trading began. Once investors were able to buy and sell the stock, the price quickly rose. It opened at $150 and later closed at $160.95, lifting SpaceX’s (3) above $2 trillion.

The successful launch of the stock also pushed Elon Musk into a new financial category. Because he owns a large part of SpaceX, the rise in the (4) made him the world’s first trillionaire, according to several financial reports.

Many investors are excited because SpaceX is not only a rocket company. Its Starlink satellite internet service already reaches millions of customers, and the company says future growth may come from artificial intelligence, space-based data centers, and long-term plans connected to Mars. Supporters see SpaceX as a company that could shape several (5) at once.

However, the IPO has also raised serious questions. SpaceX lost money in 2025, and some (6) argue that its value depends more on future hopes than present profits. Critics also worry about Musk’s strong control over the company and the wider problem of extreme wealth. For ordinary investors, the share price may move sharply if confidence changes.

For now, the market has given SpaceX a warm welcome. The harder test will come later, when investors judge whether the company can turn its huge (7) into steady results instead of only exciting stories about the future.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Loading listening activity...

Discussion Builder

  1. Q: Why do you think so many investors were willing to buy SpaceX shares?

    A:

  2. Q: Do you think future plans should strongly affect a company’s value? Why or why not?

    A:

  3. Q: Why do you think so many investors were willing to buy SpaceX shares?

    A:
Use It

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. Q: Why do you think so many investors were willing to buy SpaceX shares?

    A: I think investors bought SpaceX shares they expect its future plans to make money.

    because / unless / although / if

    I think investors bought SpaceX shares because they expect its future plans to make money.

  2. Q: Do you think future plans should strongly affect a company’s value? Why or why not?

    A: Future plans can make a company more exciting, they should not hide weak profits.

    and / because / but / so

    Future plans can make a company more exciting, but they should not hide weak profits.

  3. Q: Why do you think so many investors were willing to buy SpaceX shares?

    A: SpaceX works on rockets, satellite internet, AI ideas, and Mars plans. it could affect several industries at once.

    So, / Still, / For example, / However,

    SpaceX works on rockets, satellite internet, AI ideas, and Mars plans. So, it could affect several industries at once.

Sentence Unscramble

Sentence Unscramble

  1. A. to profit. B. a clear path C. if the company D. I might E. had F. buy shares

    I might buy shares if the company had a clear path to profit.

  2. A. because B. A public company C. ordinary investors D. more pressure E. may face F. expect G. steady results.

    A public company may face more pressure because ordinary investors expect steady results.

  3. A. fast decisions, B. add risk. C. but it can also D. too much control E. can produce F. To me, G. in one person's hands

    To me, too much control in one person's hands can produce fast decisions, but it can also add risk.

Discussion Questions
  1. Why do you think so many investors were willing to buy SpaceX shares?
  2. Do you think future plans should strongly affect a company’s value? Why or why not?
  3. What are the risks when one person has a lot of control over a company?
  4. Is it a problem when one person becomes extremely rich? Why or why not?
  5. Would you personally buy shares in a company that lost money last year? Why or why not?
  6. Humans will live on Mars one day. Agree or disagree?
  7. Do public companies face different pressures than private companies? How?
  8. What company in your country gets the most attention from investors or the public?

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think so many investors were willing to buy SpaceX shares?
  2. Do you think future plans should strongly affect a company’s value? Why or why not?
  3. What are the risks when one person has a lot of control over a company?
  4. Is it a problem when one person becomes extremely rich? Why or why not?
  5. Would you personally buy shares in a company that lost money last year? Why or why not?
  6. Humans will live on Mars one day. Agree or disagree?
  7. Do public companies face different pressures than private companies? How?
  8. What company in your country gets the most attention from investors or the public?

Answers SpaceX Enters the Stock Market / Level 4

Listening: (1) ticker, (2) offering, (3) value, (4) share price, (5) industries, (6) analysts, (7) ambitions

Main Idea: SpaceX’s IPO made investors excited, but it also raised questions about the company’s future.

True or False:

  1. True. The first paragraph says the IPO raised $75 billion, making it the largest stock market debut in history.
  2. False. The second paragraph says SpaceX was worth about $1.77 trillion before trading began and went above $2 trillion only after the stock rose.
  3. True. The fifth paragraph says some analysts argue that SpaceX’s value depends more on future hopes than present profits.

Multiple Choice: a, b, c, c

Put Events in Order:

  1. SpaceX sold shares at $135 each before trading began.
  2. SpaceX began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX.
  3. The stock opened at $150.
  4. The stock price rose during trading, pushing SpaceX’s value above $2 trillion.
  5. The stock later closed at $160.95.

Vocabulary:

  1. raise: serious questions
  2. buy and sell: stock
  3. lift: a company’s value
  4. reach: millions of customers
  1. shape: several industries
  2. lose: money
  3. turn: ambitions into steady results

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Reason. 2) Contrast. 3) Result.

  1. because
  2. but
  3. So,

Sentence Unscramble:

  1. I might buy shares if the company had a clear path to profit.
  2. A public company may face more pressure because ordinary investors expect steady results.
  3. To me, too much control in one person's hands can produce fast decisions, but it can also add risk.

eslnewsstories.com