SpaceX’s worth skyrockets to $4.8B after successful mission

SpaceX’s successful docking into the International Space Station may have ushered in a new era of spaceflight, but the success of the trip also bumped the company’s valuation into a higher orbit.

SpaceX made history last week when it became the first privately held company to dock a spacecraft on the International Space Station. According to financial data company Privco, that milestone was enough to push SpaceX’s worth to $4.8 billion, up from the $2.4 billion valuation before the mission.

PrivCo bases its numbers on SpaceX’s past and future — its recent successes, and rather busy launch schedule over the next few years. SpaceX has fifty-five launches planned through 2017, most of which are for commercial satellites. SpaceX is also contracted with NASA for a dozen resupply missions to the ISS.

But it wants more. According to SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham, the company’s next big step would be landing a contract with NASA to bring astronauts to and from the space station, which it hopes to do by 2015.

Total values for these contracts already top $4 billion, so clearly, SpaceX is going to be busy (and making money) for some time to come.

But what about its IPO ambitions? Grantham says those aren’t on the horizon right now: SpaceX is almost entirely committed currently to working out a regular rhythm for its launches — which means don’t expect the company to go public any time soon.

Speaking of IPOs, in a clear jab at Facebook, PrivCo said that SpaceX’s valuation in relation to post-IPO Facebook is reason enough for investors to look beyond Silicon Valley for investments.