Report indicates SpaceX and Tesla may announce merger in December 2026

SpaceX aims to execute a never-before-attempted maneuver in its next Starship test: simultaneously capturing the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage of the spacecraft using the mechanical arms of the launch tower. This attempt is scheduled for Friday, the 13th, during the 15th test flight of the giant rocket.

If the operation proceeds as planned, it could constitute the first complete recovery of an orbital launch system. The company views this procedure as a crucial advancement toward transforming Starship into a fully reusable space vehicle capable of more frequent flights.

The mission will be conducted from Starbase, which is SpaceX's facility located in southern Texas, United States. The launch window is scheduled to last 75 minutes, starting at 7:45 PM Brasília time.

Regarding the upper stage trajectory, Starship is expected to reach an orbit of about 275 kilometers in altitude and complete approximately 14 orbits around the Earth, totaling a mission duration exceeding 22 hours.

Similar to the previous flight, the spacecraft is also set to launch 26 Starlink V3 satellites, which are new-generation models intended to expand SpaceX's planned satellite internet network.

Flight 14, conducted on September 28th, was the initial milestone where Starship reached Earth orbit, concluding that mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about three hours after liftoff.

However, the dual capture attempt is not guaranteed. SpaceX has communicated that it may suspend the operation if any anomaly is detected during the flight. The route also includes alternatives to ensure the safe return of the spacecraft or its redirection to predefined zones in the ocean.

A hypothetical merger between SpaceX and Tesla could grant Elon Musk greater voting power in both corporations, bypassing the need to meet all conditions of his compensation plans.

Furthermore, such a transaction could alter the terms for receiving part of Tesla's stock package, valued at up to $1 trillion USD (5.4 trillion Brazilian reais).

Musk stated during a teleconference about SpaceX's results last month that the boards of directors of both companies have established special committees to discuss a potential merger.

Differences in compensation plans help illustrate the impact of a possible deal. In Tesla, the plan approved by shareholders in 2025 sets targets for market capitalization and operational goals, such as launching one million robotaxis. Currently, Musk has not met any of these goals.

Even if he meets all the goals, his voting share in the manufacturer would be around 29%, according to documents presented by the company's board.

The model in SpaceX is different. The compensation plan involves shares tied to goals such as establishing a colony of one million people on Mars and building space data centers. However, Musk received the corresponding voting rights immediately, although he does not yet have the economic value of these shares. This allows him to concentrate 85% of the votes in the company.

According to Barclays estimates, if SpaceX acquires Tesla, Musk would receive about 37% of the stake in the new conglomerate but would control 56% of the votes. This difference is possible because SpaceX's special class shares carry ten times more votes than common shares. Tesla does not have an equivalent structure.

Tesla's compensation plan includes special conditions for changes in control, such as a potential acquisition by SpaceX. In such a scenario, Musk could receive shares upon meeting market capitalization targets without achieving certain operational milestones.

Tesla's market capitalization is approximately $1.6 trillion USD (8.64 trillion Brazilian reais). To unlock the first part of the package, the value must reach $2 trillion USD (10.8 trillion Brazilian reais) due to the merger. At this level, Musk would receive $20 billion USD (108 billion Brazilian reais) in shares.

The calculation considers the stock price immediately before the deal or the amount shareholders receive from the deal, whichever is higher. The actual payout amount will be less, as the plan only accounts for the increase in stock value after the announcement made in September 2025.

The SpaceX plan is less detailed regarding what will happen in a merger. Four out of six executive compensation experts surveyed by Reuters believe that the board of directors could significantly change the terms of the agreement.

The package includes two sets of goals: one combines market capitalization targets with establishing a colony on Mars; the other links company growth to building space data centers capable of providing 100 terawatts of computing power per year.

Under the maximum forecast, the plan's shares could be worth $719 billion USD (3.88 trillion Brazilian reais), according to consulting firm Equilar, based on the current number of SpaceX shares.

The issue of voting rights at Tesla was previously raised by Musk himself. In October 2025, he stated that he was concerned about creating a large army of robots and subsequently the risk of being removed from company management.

It is common for residents near data centers to complain about the disturbances caused by these facilities. To solve this situation, SpaceX apparently found a drastic approach: acquiring houses located near a power plant that directly supplies these data centers.

The specific case involves SpaceXSI, an entity formed by the merger of xAI with SpaceX. xAI was established by Elon Musk in 2023 with the goal of developing artificial intelligence services and technologies, including Grok.

As is known, AI applications require specialized data centers. For this reason, SpaceXSI erected such facilities in 2024, still under the name xAI, in the Memphis area, United States.

Data centers consume a large amount of electricity. To meet this demand, SpaceXSI installed a energy production infrastructure consisting of 69 temporary gas-powered turbines in the city of Southaven. However, these turbines generate considerable noise, causing great inconvenience to local residents, in addition to other problems such as air pollution.

According to a report by The Guardian, SpaceXSI began assigning real estate agents to approach residents near the plant, offering purchase proposals for their properties.

A real estate agent informed a resident that Elon Musk's company project plans to buy 418 houses in the region, of which 18 have already been negotiated. Additionally, five other residences have already been acquired by MZX, a SpaceX subsidiary responsible for operating the energy structure.

According to the same newspaper, the purchased houses will be used to house the company's employees. The acquisition offers are priced at values close to US$ 180,000, which represents the estimated average price of houses in that locality.

There is a condition imposed on this transaction: the resident who wishes to sell their house must agree not to take legal action against SpaceXSI due to the inconveniences caused by the electric plant.

Indeed, there is a class-action lawsuit against SpaceXSI ongoing since June of this year. In this lawsuit, residents allege that the plant produces a continuous sound, which often resembles the noise of aircraft. In this context, the purchase of the residences emerges as a tactic to prevent the judicial conflict from escalating.

In the following month, the company reached an agreement with state regulatory bodies to convert the plant into a permanent gas power generation facility. This change will involve a more modern structure, which in turn should reduce the noise level emitted by the temporary turbines.

SpaceXSI had also previously made statements about implementing measures to mitigate the disturbances, such as building acoustic barriers and adjusting power generation capacity.

However, the supposed strategy of buying properties in the area raises questions about whether Elon Musk's company truly intends to be a cordial neighbor, as suggested.

To date, SpaceXSI has not issued any official statement regarding this property acquisition plan.