{"id":636265,"date":"2026-10-20T12:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636265\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:10:08","slug":"spacex-earnings-put-elon-musks-starlink-cash-cow-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636265\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX Earnings Put Elon Musk&#8217;s Starlink Cash Cow to the Test"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The SpaceX business helping to fund Elon Musk&#8217;s biggest bets is taking a swing of its own just in time for earnings.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX reports earnings after the bell today, and Musk&#8217;s goal of <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/spacex-wins-fcc-approval-for-15-000-starlink-satellites-2026-10\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">turning Starlink into a major mobile carrier<\/a> is expected to be a focus.<\/p>\n<p>Taking on Verizon, AT&amp;T, and T-Mobile is a huge endeavor. And it requires significant investment from a company that already has a long list of expensive bets.<\/p>\n<p>As a bit of a refresher, SpaceX is made up of three key parts: connectivity (Starlink), space (reusable rockets like Starship), and AI (Grok, X, and data centers). Among the three, connectivity <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/starlink-elon-musk-business-empire-crown-jewel-2026-10\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">is the only one generating an operating profit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That makes it incredibly valuable not only as a stand-alone business but as a way to offset the expensive investments made by SpaceX&#8217;s space and AI segments.<\/p>\n<p>Turning Starlink into a mobile carrier complicates that arrangement. To offer service in more densely populated areas, SpaceX will need to launch more satellites into space and establish a ground footprint.<\/p>\n<p>How much SpaceX plans to set aside for that buildout and the impact it&#8217;ll have on the bottom line are key questions analysts will have.<\/p>\n<p>Musk is no stranger to talking a big game. He recently said SpaceX could one day be <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/elon-musk-spacex-stock-valuation-global-economy-space-travel-vision-2026-10\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">worth more than Earth&#8217;s economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s backed it up by accomplishing things others thought were impossible, <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/spacex-rocket-landing-history-again-never-before-seen-footage-2016-5\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">like self-landing rockets<\/a>. Just don&#8217;t expect him to hit his self-imposed deadlines. (Case in point: <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/elon-musk-described-tesla-flying-roadster-tech-8-years-ago-2026-10\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tesla Roadster<\/a>, which has faced numerous delays and is now targeting production in 2028.)<\/p>\n<p>                                  Want more Business Insider in your news feed?<\/p>\n<p class=\"preferred-sources-module-desc body-xs\">\n                                    Add BI in Google so our reporting is easier to find when you\u2019re searching for what matters.\n                                  <\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s less at stake when you&#8217;re starting from scratch. But with Starlink, it&#8217;s also about Musk avoiding turning his cash cow into another capital drain.<\/p>\n<p>According to another Musk proclamation, a lot of us will have a vested interest in SpaceX&#8217;s success.<\/p>\n<p>Early Monday morning, Musk said he&#8217;ll give one of his SpaceX shares <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/l.businessinsider.com\/a\/zc\/21432\/61f607f443b041b6a0c2ee35435cd247\/63458f96e5324ced98bc62f5e5afd63a\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">to every kid in America next year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This will be the first of many,&#8221; <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/l.businessinsider.com\/z\/c\/21432\/61f607f443b041b6a0c2ee35435cd247\/ad6e3d0bd9614a809fc8bc165f3cf277\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">he added<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Details on how that would work weren&#8217;t clear, but many people immediately thought of the recently launched <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/l.businessinsider.com\/a\/zc\/21432\/61f607f443b041b6a0c2ee35435cd247\/b102eebe78684965adb142b01d9196a4\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trump Accounts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/l.businessinsider.com\/a\/zc\/21432\/61f607f443b041b6a0c2ee35435cd247\/c23e952088ee4a008d2ef492fff1c131\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">predicted Musk would donate SpaceX stock to the accounts<\/a>. And SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell already said she&#8217;d gift a <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/l.businessinsider.com\/a\/zc\/21432\/61f607f443b041b6a0c2ee35435cd247\/de1c21034b4c434c84f226edffc23e34\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">share of her company stock to Trump Accounts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If that&#8217;s how the shares are distributed, it&#8217;s an example of the complexities the Trump Accounts can pose for some parents. Certain jobs, like those in financial services, have restrictions around the types of investments you can hold <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/l.businessinsider.com\/a\/zc\/21432\/61f607f443b041b6a0c2ee35435cd247\/00b04cb5189b4fb7a3a8d47aeb219112\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">due to compliance reasons<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The SpaceX business helping to fund Elon Musk&#8217;s biggest bets is taking a swing of its own just&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[365,1656,12693,516,311913,311912,111,139,69,42731,147,2552,392,311908,311909,311911,1504,311910,231018],"class_list":["post-636265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-ai","tag-company","tag-connectivity","tag-elon-musk","tag-expensive-investment","tag-major-mobile-carrier","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-reusable-rocket","tag-science","tag-service","tag-space","tag-spacex-business","tag-spacex-earning","tag-spacex-share","tag-starlink","tag-starlink-cash-cow","tag-trump-accounts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}