New regulatory filings reveal that SpaceX's President and Chief Operating Officer, Gwynne Shotwell, has submitted paperwork to sell nearly $52 million worth of shares, while a separate disclosure indicates that an investment account held in the name of U.S. President Donald Trump bought and sold the company's stock in July. The stock rose 2% on Tuesday to close at $154.72, snapping a two-day losing streak.
The trading disclosure has drawn significant attention. Shotwell's latest filing shows a planned sale of 342,170 shares, with a combined market value of $51.96 million, which she acquired on Tuesday through cash-exercised stock options. In its first quarterly report following the listing, SpaceX disclosed that Shotwell had adopted a 10b5-1 trading plan on June 23, covering up to 585,605 shares. The company noted that the majority of her holdings remain under an extended lock-up period. The shares listed in Tuesday's sale notice do not exceed the cap outlined in that plan.
Additionally, a financial disclosure released Tuesday shows that on July 10, an account held in Trump's name purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of SpaceX stock, followed by a sale of between $1,001 and $15,000 on July 17. A previous disclosure from last month also revealed that an account in Trump's name bought between $15,001 and $50,000 of SpaceX shares on June 23. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle stated that "President Trump and any member of his family have no ability to direct, influence, or provide advice on the investment approach or the timing of buying or selling in the portfolio." The interest in his SpaceX holdings stems from the company's significant contracts with NASA and the Department of Defense.
Where the focus lies now
These trading disclosures come just ahead of SpaceX's next major operational test. The company is targeting its 14th Starship flight no earlier than September 28, a mission designed to send the upper stage into Earth orbit for the first time and deploy 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites. The 10-hour mission is planned to complete six orbits around the planet before the spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
This test arrives as SpaceX prepares to shift more launch missions from the Falcon 9 to Starship. Some commercial customers are already finding it difficult to book Falcon 9 launches beyond 2028 and are exploring alternative routes to orbit. SpaceX is gradually winding down Falcon 9 production, although the rocket is expected to remain in service for years—especially for government missions—while Starship continues its development phase.