Musk sees considerable opportunities for SpaceX in the future, not only in space but also in artificial intelligence. Putting data centers into space and helping humans get to Mars one day are extremely lofty goals, which will likely take several years, even under ideal conditions. Thus, getting bogged down by shareholder expectations and needing to please Wall Street can be challenging while still focusing on the space’s company<\/a>‘s long-term goals. <\/p>\n In a recent interview with The Economist, Musk clarified why so much control for him is necessary. “I really just need to make sure that I can focus on long term,” Musk said, believing that will give him sufficient power to control the path of the company. And by long term, he clarified he was referring to a time frame of five to 10 years. <\/p>\n SpaceX’s opportunities are significant, but the stock carries plenty of risk <\/p>\n In SpaceX’s S-1 filing, the company outlined a massive total addressable market of $28.5 trillion, and that growth potential was a big reason investors were bullish about the stock when it first went public in June. The growth story was so compelling that even at a market cap of around $2 trillion, investors wanted to take a chance on the business. <\/p>\n However, SpaceX stock has proven to be volatile since then. On Friday, it closed below $109 and was down more than 50% from the highs it hit in June, when euphoria sent it to more than $225. This type of volatility may be inevitable around a company with such a high valuation<\/a> and so much uncertainty around its future. With SpaceX unprofitable and needing significant cash infusions to grow in the long run, investors will need to be incredibly patient with the stock, as it may take a long time for the company to realize its goals. <\/p>\n Should you buy stock in Space Exploration Technologies right now? <\/p>\n Before you buy stock in\u00a0Space Exploration Technologies, consider this: <\/p>\n The Motley Fool\u00a0Stock Advisor\u00a0analyst team just identified what they believe are the\u00a010 best stocks<\/a>\u00a0for investors to buy now\u2026 and\u00a0Space Exploration Technologies\u00a0wasn’t one of them.\u00a0The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years. <\/p>\n Consider when\u00a0Netflix\u00a0made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation,\u00a0you’d have $386,727!*\u00a0Or\u00a0when\u00a0Nvidia\u00a0made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation,\u00a0you’d have $1,232,139!* <\/p>\n That performance is why people listen. With a track record of\u00a0beating the S&P 500 by 4x,\u00a0Stock Advisor\u00a0offers a distinct advantage. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with\u00a0Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built for the long haul. <\/p>\n See the 10 stocks \u00bb<\/a> <\/p>\n *Stock Advisor returns as of August 3, 2026. <\/p>\n David Jagielski, CPA<\/a> has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/a> Image source: Getty Images. Musk’s vision could take considerable time to play out <\/p>\n