SpaceX made its debut in the Super Bowl, running its first standalone advertisement during the high-profile event—a milestone for Elon Musk’s business empire. The 30-second spot, aired on Sunday, showcased the company’s Starlink satellite internet service and marked the first time any of Musk’s ventures has aired a commercial during the Super Bowl. The ad features audio from a speech by renowned science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, layered over footage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Starship rocket boosters returning to Earth. It highlights Starlink’s mission to deliver fast, affordable internet to every corner of the globe, with scenes of the service in action across remote and underserved regions. This move represents a significant shift for Musk’s companies, which have historically avoided traditional advertising. Instead, they’ve relied on high-profile rocket launches—like the dramatic Starship booster catch—to generate buzz. Tesla, for example, eliminated its entire marketing team during 2024 layoffs, while SpaceX has long used its engineering feats as its primary form of public outreach. In recent years, both companies have begun investing in advertising across digital platforms, including Musk’s social media platform X. Starlink has previously appeared in Super Bowl ads, but only as part of partnerships—most notably with T-Mobile. This year’s standalone ad, however, signals a new phase of brand-building for SpaceX. The cost of a 30-second Super Bowl slot this year ranges from $8 million to $10 million, according to broadcaster NBCUniversal, underscoring the strategic importance of the platform. The ad comes as SpaceX prepares for a potential record-breaking initial public offering later this year, which could value the rocket company at up to $1.5 trillion. The announcement coincides with Musk’s recent plan to merge SpaceX with his AI startup, xAI. He said the integration would help create a network of solar-powered orbital data centers designed to train advanced AI models. Starlink has been a key driver of SpaceX’s recent success. With over 9,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, the service now serves 9 million customers across 155 countries, according to figures released in December. The ad’s emphasis on global connectivity reflects Starlink’s growing role not just in consumer internet, but in critical infrastructure for remote areas, disaster response, and even military operations.