SpaceX's first quarterly earnings since going public have presented the market with an even more aggressive growth story: the Connectivity business continues to contribute profits, AI computing revenue is growing rapidly, and Musk has moved forward the target year for reaching $1 trillion in annual revenue from 2031 to 2030, suggesting it could be achieved as early as 2029.
According to the company's SEC filing, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Class A common stock has begun trading on Nasdaq and Nasdaq Texas under the ticker SPCX. Following the release of its Q2 results for the period ending June 30 on August 4, Bernstein maintained its 'Outperform' rating and a $239 price target. Based on the closing price of $125.33 on August 4 as cited in the report, this implies an approximate 91% upside potential.
However, the $239 target price is not predicated on the full realization of the $1 trillion revenue goal. Bernstein's own revenue forecast for SpaceX in 2031 is $554 billion, significantly lower than management's vision; its AI computing price model also still assumes a long-term decline to approximately $10 per watt. In other words, higher computing prices and more aggressive revenue targets represent potential upside beyond the current valuation.
On August 5, SpaceX's stock price fell further to $108.27, a single-day drop of 13.6%. This indicates the market is not solely focused on this quarter's performance but is simultaneously weighing AI capital expenditures, potential stock supply pressure from the post-IPO lock-up period expiration, and whether Starship can enter a phase of high-frequency, low-cost launches.
Revenue Growth of 92%, Connectivity Remains the Profit Pillar
SpaceX's Q2 revenue reached $7.814 billion, a year-on-year increase of 92%. The consensus cited by Axios from S&P Visible Alpha was $6.9 billion, while Bernstein's report used a market consensus of $6.546 billion. Despite differing methodologies, both point to the same conclusion: revenue this quarter significantly exceeded expectations.
The company's Q2 diluted loss per share was $0.09, also better than the market expectation of a $0.24 loss per share. The three business segments combined posted an operating loss of $143 million, far better than the $1.73 billion market expectation used by Bernstein, primarily due to a narrower AI segment loss and Connectivity margins higher than expected.
Looking at the segments, the most stable currently remains the Connectivity business centered on Starlink. Starlink user count reached 12 million by the end of Q2, an increase of 1.7 million from Q1, with average monthly revenue per user remaining stable at $66.
Connectivity's quarterly revenue was $4.291 billion, with operating profit of $1.656 billion, corresponding to an operating margin of approximately 38.6%, higher than the 37% market expectation used by Bernstein. It is also SpaceX's only currently profitable business segment at the operating level, providing crucial support for the company's continued investments in AI and Starship.
The Space business completed 38 launches in Q2, comprising 10 customer launches and 28 internal launches, delivering a total mass to orbit (MTO) of 485 tons. This segment's revenue was $962 million, higher than the market expectation of $874 million, but operating losses still reached $542 million due to increased Starship R&D investment.
The AI business possesses both the greatest revenue elasticity and funding requirements. By the end of Q2, SpaceX's nominal compute capacity reached 1.4 GW, up from 1.0 GW in Q1, with expectations to exceed 2 GW by the end of 2026. The AI segment's quarterly revenue was $2.561 billion, a year-on-year increase of 247%, with AI solutions and infrastructure revenue reaching $2.194 billion.
The AI business's operating loss was $1.257 billion, corresponding to an operating margin of approximately -49.1%, but this is a significant improvement from the Q1 operating loss of $2.469 billion; segment adjusted EBITDA turned positive to $1.146 billion from a Q1 loss of $609 million.
Meanwhile, the AI business's quarterly capital expenditure in Q2 reached $15.828 billion, higher than Q1's $7.723 billion. SpaceX's total Q2 capital expenditure reached $18.369 billion. Whether this massive investment can translate into sustained revenue and cash returns remains one of the market's key concerns.

Table of SpaceX's Q2 performance by its three business segments. Connectivity contributes the main profit, while AI segment capital expenditure reached $15.828 billion. Source: Bernstein
AI Compute Opens Revenue Potential; A Trillion in Revenue Can't Rely Solely on Satellite Internet
The most notable change from the earnings call was Musk moving the target year for reaching $1 trillion in annual revenue from 2031 to 2030, suggesting it could be achieved as early as 2029. Management also presented expectations for an annualized revenue run rate of at least $100 billion, though this Bernstein report summary does not explicitly state the corresponding timeframe.
To approach this target, SpaceX clearly cannot rely solely on Starlink user growth. Connectivity needs to continue expanding its consumer, enterprise, and government customer base; the AI business needs to convert massive compute capacity into long-term contracts and stable revenue; and Starship needs to reduce the costs of satellite deployment and orbital data center construction.
Among these, AI compute pricing is the most sensitive variable.
Musk stated that compute service pricing could remain in the range of $30 to $50 per watt, noting this assessment aligns with prices agreed upon in deals with Anthropic and Google. In contrast, Bernstein's current model still assumes compute prices will eventually revert to approximately $10 per watt.
This means that the $30 to $50 per watt range is not the base assumption already incorporated into Bernstein's $239 target price, but rather potential model upside. If SpaceX can maintain higher prices while expanding capacity, its long-term revenue and EBITDA could significantly exceed Bernstein's current forecasts.
However, the sustainability of this price range remains uncertain. Customer contract terms and cancellation clauses, AI compute supply and demand dynamics, semiconductor supply, and competitor expansion could all impact actual realized prices.
Capacity expansion targets are similarly aggressive. SpaceX's nominal compute capacity was 1.4 GW at the end of Q2. The company expects to exceed 2 GW by the end of 2026, approach 10 GW by the end of 2027, and move toward 20 GW in 2028. If this pace is realized, SpaceX's business structure will evolve beyond just rocket launches and satellite internet, extending further into large-scale AI infrastructure.

Key financial and valuation projection table. Bernstein forecasts SpaceX's revenue for 2025-2027 to be $18.674 billion, $40.236 billion, and $84.990 billion respectively, with the EV/Adjusted EBITDA multiple decreasing from 245.7x to 37.2x.
The Prerequisite for High-Frequency Launches is Full Reusability for Starship
In SpaceX's valuation framework, Connectivity answers the question "Is there a current profit foundation?", AI compute answers "How much faster can revenue grow?", and Starship answers "Can future scale be achieved at a sufficiently low cost?"
If SpaceX is to approach $1 trillion in annual revenue around 2030, relying solely on Starlink user growth is insufficient. Starship's launch frequency, payload capacity, and degree of full reusability will directly impact the costs of next-generation Starlink satellite deployment, orbital data center construction, and the expansion of other space businesses.
Management has still presented a very aggressive timeline. The company plans to continue advancing Starship orbital flights and V3 satellite deployment, while attempting more complex booster and upper stage recovery maneuvers. Its long-term goal is to approach a daily launch rate by the end of 2027, operating five launch pads, with two in Texas and three in Florida.
Achieving this frequency requires SpaceX not only to reuse the booster but also to solve the upper stage recovery problem for Starship. Bernstein believes a durable heat shield is key to full upper stage reusability. Musk indicated that flight number 13 may have addressed the heat shield issue, but analysis is not yet complete and will require further flights for validation.
Regulatory approvals, launch pad construction, flight anomalies, and iteration cycles could also affect the pace at which Starship transitions from high-frequency testing to industrialized operations. Therefore, full reusability remains the most critical, yet also the most uncertain, component in Bernstein's valuation model.
The $239 Target Price Relies on Three Pillars Being Realized in Tandem
Bernstein's $239 12-month target price is derived by calculating the 2030 enterprise value based on projected 2031 EBITDA for each business, using sum-of-the-parts valuation and forward EV/EBITDA multiples, then discounting each segment's valuation back to mid-2027. Connectivity and AI are discounted using late-stage venture capital discount rates of 25% and 35%, respectively.
Notably, Bernstein's model projects SpaceX's 2031 revenue at $554 billion, significantly lower than management's $1 trillion target. Its long-term compute price assumption also remains a reversion to approximately $10 per watt, not the $30 to $50 per watt suggested by Musk.
Therefore, the $239 target price does not require SpaceX to fully achieve all of management's vision but still incorporates strong business expansion assumptions. It requires at least three elements to be realized in tandem: continued profit growth from Connectivity, AI compute translating high capital expenditure into scaled revenue, and Starship achieving its planned full reusability milestones.

SpaceX's stock price has declined noticeably since its IPO, yet Bernstein maintains its $239 price target and Outperform rating. Source: Bernstein
This also explains why SpaceX's stock price fell significantly after the earnings release despite Q2 revenue and earnings per share exceeding expectations. Quarterly performance can only demonstrate that current growth remains strong; it cannot directly alleviate market concerns about AI investment returns, post-lock-up stock supply, and Starship execution risk.
If AI compute pricing can be maintained in the $30 to $50 per watt range for a longer duration, Starship's full reusability progresses as planned, and Starlink consumer and enterprise customer growth continues, Bernstein's current model still has room for upward revision. Conversely, if compute contract fulfillment, semiconductor supply, or Starship development progress falls short of expectations, the $239 target price itself will face pressure.







