The World Grows Bleaker as Elon Musk Burns Through Rp366 Trillion
Jakarta — CNBC Indonesia. SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company, has big ambitions for the future. From building advanced systems and technologies to understanding a universe that is incredibly valuable, SpaceX has officially disclosed plans to go public by presenting a financial and leadership overview of the company. This includes details on board members, revenue, profit, expenditure and how the business operates.
‘To build the systems and technologies required to make multiplanetary life possible, to understand the true nature of the universe and to spread the light of awareness to the stars,’ SpaceX said in its prospectus for the mission it will undertake, cited by CNN International, Friday (22 May 2026).
To achieve these ambitions, SpaceX explains it will continue to rapidly produce and launch a fleet of satellites to support Starlink communications technology. The company also harnesses the Sun to support artificial intelligence (AI), and is building a base on the Moon as well as cities on other planets.
SpaceX needs a lot of money to do this, which is why it needs investors.
The company’s revenue reached US$18.7 billion (Rp331 trillion) last year, up 33% from the previous year. However SpaceX has also been unprofitable since turning a profit of US$791 million (Rp14 trillion) in 2024, recording a loss of US$4.9 billion (Rp86 trillion) in 2025.
Larger losses are expected to continue through 2026. Citing CNN International, SpaceX posted a loss of US$4.3 billion (Rp76 trillion) for the first three months of this year, with revenue of US$4.7 billion (Rp83 trillion).
Elon Musk Burns Through Rp366 Trillion for Big Gains
Investments in AI infrastructure also require a substantial amount of money. Last year, the company spent US$20.7 billion (Rp366 trillion), of which most — US$12.7 billion (Rp224 trillion) — was allocated to AI.
Yet SpaceX hopes the losses will not be permanent. In its outline, the company identifies revenue opportunities of US$28.5 trillion (Rp504 trillion). Of this, US$370 billion from space-based solutions, US$1.6 trillion for connectivity — i.e. US$870 billion for broadband and US$740 billion for Starlink mobile — and US$26.5 trillion from AI.
Additionally, opportunities include US$2.4 trillion for a plan for an outer-space data centre and US$670 billion potential consumer subscriptions. There is also potential digital advertising revenue of US$600 billion and enterprise applications US$22.7 trillion.
The grand ambitions of Elon Musk, who is widely regarded as the world’s richest person, show that the world today is increasingly fierce in the race to ‘burn money’ to develop AI technology with promises of multi-fold profits in the future.
Public Fears
Meanwhile workers are haunted by fear and anxiety that AI will replace their roles. The development of advanced infrastructure also raises major problems related to water and electricity shortages affecting daily life for a broad section of society. Not to mention the spread of disinformation that is increasingly rampant, and sophisticated scams powered by AI technology. These issues seem to be sidelined in the name of profits for a few and efficiency/productivity growth for businesses.