Key Takeaways SpaceX shares climbed 1% in Tuesday’s premarket session, attempting to halt a seven-session decline that erased 21% of value Elon Musk issued a direct warning to short sellers v
Shares of SpaceX were changing hands at $121.02 during Tuesday’s premarket session, marking a 1% gain as the stock attempted to break free from a seven-session downward spiral that destroyed 21% of its market value. The aerospace manufacturer’s stock has now retreated approximately 47% from its record high near $226 and has settled beneath its $135 initial public offering price for three consecutive trading days.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., SPCX
Tuesday’s modest recovery followed a challenging Monday for the company. SpaceX called off a Falcon 9 mission scheduled to deploy 24 Starlink satellites moments before liftoff. Company officials confirmed the payload remained undamaged. The firm also postponed its 13th Starship test flight following an engine anomaly. That experimental launch has been rescheduled for July 23.
The Falcon 9 rocket has already executed over 80 successful missions in 2026, making launch aborts a routine part of operations. Starship remains in its testing phase — representing a completely reusable launch system engineered to slash orbital delivery costs by approximately 90% compared to Falcon 9.
In a late Monday post on X, Musk addressed short sellers in pointed language, implying their position is increasingly untenable.
Currently, roughly 17% of SpaceX’s freely tradable shares are held by short sellers. This represents an exceptionally high concentration for a major technology enterprise. By way of comparison, Apple maintains short interest of approximately 1%.
This elevated short interest stems partially from structural factors. The majority of SpaceX equity remains locked up by original investors subject to selling restrictions. The limited tradable supply magnifies the short interest percentage relative to available shares.
Such high short concentration increases the probability of a short squeeze scenario. Should the stock begin appreciating, short sellers may scramble to close their positions through share purchases, potentially accelerating upward price momentum.
Musk has repeatedly confronted short sellers publicly — most notably during Tesla’s ascent, where bearish traders have reportedly lost approximately $27 billion since June 2021. His latest X statement follows an established pattern.
A fresh wave of shares is anticipated to enter trading following SpaceX quarterly earnings disclosure on August 4. Founding investors previously restricted from liquidating positions may begin divesting holdings, contributing to recent downward pressure on the stock.
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/6VXtOOai3Lpic.twitter.com/ER84j615qc
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 20, 2026
The company designed its IPO with staggered share releases instead of implementing a traditional six-month blanket lockup period, resulting in equity becoming available in successive intervals.
Looking ahead, a successful Starship demonstration on July 23 could provide near-term upward momentum. The August 4 quarterly report represents the next significant market catalyst.
Musk’s statement arrived as SpaceX shares languished at their weakest point since going public.
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