As seen from Canaveral National Seashore, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 60 Starlink satellites launches from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on October 6, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is the 13th batch of satellites placed into orbit by SpaceX as part of a constellation designed to provide broadband internet service around the globe. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesA version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.The investment firms of billionaires including ex-eBay President Jeff Skoll and AutoZone’s Pitt Hyde are set to reap rewards from SpaceX’s IPO this Friday. However, while SpaceX’s profile eclipses that of nearly every other private space company, family office investors told CNBC that they see other opportunities in the sector even for companies without Elon Musk’s name attached. Moreover, they said they view space-related startups as opportunities to invest in infrastructure and defense rather than flashy bets on space exploration.Gary Lauder, a cosmetics heir turned venture capitalist, has invested in SpaceX through a special purpose vehicle and two venture funds. He told CNBC he was attracted to the strength of its Starlink satellite technology, not the prospect of space tourism. Much of Lauder’s early investing was in telecommunications, and he took a seminar in satellite communications in the early ’90s. “I never dreamed of being an astronaut,” he said. “It’s just an important mode of communication.” Jason Blanck, an investor who started his namesake family office in 2024, said he is interested in the picks and shovels of space, like mission-critical hardware and data networks.”I think the public markets are focused heavily on debating rocket launch cadences, costs around flight development, but from my perspective and where I sit, managing permanent family capital, the real narrative has actually quite evolved,” he said. Robin Lauber’s Infinitas Capital invested in SpaceX in early 2025 through a secondary offering. He cited Musk’s …
