How to Invest in SpaceX Indirectly: Why I Bought 3 Shares of NASA ETF and 5 Shares of XOVR
Everyone wants a piece of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. From dominates global launch markets to building the Starlink mega-constellation, the company's valuation keeps hitting new highs. The problem? It is still a private company. Unless you are an accredited investor or a massive venture capital firm, you cannot buy SpaceX shares directly in your brokerage account.
While looking for a workaround, I stumbled upon two unique vehicles traded on US exchanges: the Tema Space Innovators ETF (Ticker: NASA) and the ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF (Ticker: XOVR). To truly understand how these funds track private assets and respond to market news, I decided to establish a small observer position: 3 shares of NASA and 5 shares of XOVR.
📌 My Quick Takeaway After Buying Both
• NASA ETF is a pure-play space economy fund holding rocket manufacturers, satellite operators, and defense contractors.
• XOVR ETF is a growth-stock hybrid that anchors itself in liquid US tech giants while adding a slice of late-stage private unicorns like SpaceX and Anduril.
• If you want concentrated SpaceX exposure, XOVR often carries a higher weight, but NASA offers a broader bet on the industrialization of space.
The Portfolio Breakdown: 3 Shares of NASA, 5 Shares of XOVR
I balanced my entry by buying 3 shares of NASA (trading around the $33 range at the time) and 5 shares of XOVR (trading around the $20 range). This kept my total capital allocation roughly equal for both sides of the experiment.
This is not a massive bet to get rich quick. It is a calculated testing ground. Having skin in the game—even just a few shares—forces me to monitor their quarterly filings, net asset value (NAV) calculations, and underlying portfolio shifts much more closely than just keeping them on a casual watchlist.
How Do NASA and XOVR Differ?
| Feature | NASA ETF (Tema Space) | XOVR ETF (ERShares) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Strategy | Active Pure-Play Space Economy | US Growth Tech + Selected Late-Stage Private Firms |
| SpaceX Vehicle | Indirect via SPVs / Pools | Indirect via SPVs / Pools |
| SpaceX Weight | Typically lower (around 4-6%) due to diversification | Can lean higher (10-15%+) depending on valuation resets |
| Major Peers Inside | Rocket Lab (RKLB), AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) | NVIDIA, Alphabet, Meta, Anduril (Private) |
| Primary Volatility Source | Capital-heavy, pre-revenue space tech names | Macro tech sector shifts & private valuation lag |
*Note: Because private assets don't trade on an open exchange every second, both ETFs use Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to hold their economic stakes. If Starship aces a test flight on a Tuesday, do not expect the ETF to instantly pop 20% on Wednesday morning. Private asset revaluations happen on a lag.*
NASA ETF: Playing the Broad "New Space" Trend
The Tema Space Innovators ETF (NASA) doesn't just rely on Musk. It is designed to capture the entire supply chain of the modern space race. If you buy NASA, you are buying into launch systems, satellite constellations, and components.
The Pros: It holds high-flyers like Rocket Lab (RKLB) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS). If the entire sector catches a bid, NASA thrives. Furthermore, if SpaceX eventually goes public, it simply transitions into a public holding within a dedicated space fund without changing the ETF's core mandate.
The Cons: When a lot of retail money flows into NASA, the fund managers cannot easily dial up a broker and buy more private SpaceX shares instantly. They are forced to allocate cash to public stocks, which naturally dilutes your percentage exposure to SpaceX.
XOVR ETF: Liquid Tech Paired with Late-Stage Unicorns
The ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF (XOVR) offers a completely different philosophy. Instead of buying small, volatile space companies, it parks your capital in stable megacap tech giants while allocating a distinct sleeve of the portfolio to hard-to-reach private innovators like SpaceX and defense-tech darling Anduril.
The Pros: Because it trims out the highly speculative, cash-burning micro-cap space stocks, it gives you a much higher concentration of SpaceX equity during specific tranches. Having the tech majors anchor the fund also provides decent baseline liquidity.
The Cons: Your portfolio performance is a double-edged sword. SpaceX could be executing flawlessly, but if Big Tech faces a sector-wide correction over regulatory or interest rate fears, XOVR will feel the pain regardless of Musk's private success.
What Happens When SpaceX Finally Goes Public (IPO)?
An IPO is the ultimate catalyst retail investors are waiting for, but its impact on these ETFs is nuanced. It represents both a massive liquidity event and a threat to the fund's unique premium structure.
| 🚀 The Bull Case for the IPO | ⚠️ The Bear Case for the IPO |
|---|---|
| Valuation Realization: The private stakes held inside the SPVs will be revalued at the official public offer price, likely unlocking a sudden, massive jump in the ETF’s Net Asset Value (NAV). | Loss of Scarcity Premium: Once everyday retail investors can purchase SpaceX common stock directly on Robinhood, Webull, or Fidelity, the core incentive to buy an indirect vehicle like XOVR drops significantly, potentially causing capital outflows from the fund. |
My Personal Game Plan with My 3 and 5 Shares
Now that I am actively tracking both tickers in my account, I have laid down a clear operational strategy for managing this position over the next 12 to 18 months:
- Keep both positions on a short leash: These are "satellite" holdings. They shouldn't replace a solid core of low-cost broad index funds (like VOO or QQQ). They belong strictly in the speculative growth portion of a portfolio.
- Watch XOVR for pure-play SpaceX momentum: If I see a major private funding round that substantially rerates SpaceX's internal valuation upward, XOVR will likely capture that concentrated burst cleaner due to its asset mix.
- Use NASA for industry health checks: I am watching NASA to see how the broader commercial space industry scales out. If hardware costs decrease and orbital launches become routine, NASA is the better long-term macro play.
- The Exit Strategy: The moment SpaceX successfully rings the opening bell on a public exchange and the lock-up periods expire, my plan is to liquidate both tracking positions and reallocate that capital directly into pure SpaceX equity.
Putting actual cash behind NASA and XOVR completely shifts how you view the space race. It cuts through the hype. If you want a diversified exposure to everything moving beyond our atmosphere, NASA is a great look. If you prefer to let major US tech companies carry your portfolio while waiting for a massive private payoff from SpaceX, XOVR fits that mold. For now, my 3 and 5 shares are doing exactly what I bought them for: giving me a front-row seat to the pre-IPO market.




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