SpaceX Wants Its Own Gas Trading Team: What Elon Musk Is Building In Texas

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is moving deeper into the energy business as it prepares for growing power and fuel needs. The company is hiring a trader to build and lead a natural gas trading team, according to a Bloomberg report.

The job posting says the role will focus on both physical and financial natural gas trading. The position is based either at Cape Canaveral in Florida or Starbase in Texas, rather than traditional gas trading centres such as Houston, Calgary or Stamford.

The move comes as SpaceX expands beyond rockets and satellites into areas that require large amounts of energy. The company is developing a massive semiconductor manufacturing facility in Texas with Tesla and plans to build its own gas-fired power plants to supply electricity to the site.

SpaceX’s Growing Energy Plans

SpaceX also plans to build its own natural gas pipelines and is considering drilling for gas. Company President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said in June that these would be major investments aimed at developing the company’s own rocket fuel supply.

The company’s energy plans are closely linked to its growing manufacturing operations. Rising electricity demand from data centres and new factories has also increased interest in new gas-fired power plants across the US.

Musk has often pushed for greater control over the supply chain, and building its own energy infrastructure would give SpaceX more control over a key part of its operations.

Why Natural Gas Matters To SpaceX

Natural gas is also important because of SpaceX’s plans for its Starship rocket. Starship uses super-chilled methane, which is the main component of natural gas, along with liquid oxygen as its rocket fuel.

Producing its own methane could eventually give SpaceX greater control over the supply of a key rocket propellant. The company’s planned gas infrastructure could therefore serve both its electricity needs and its space operations.

SpaceX is not alone among major technology companies in looking at the energy market. Meta and OpenAI have also recently indicated plans to enter power trading as their energy requirements grow.

The decision to hire a dedicated natural gas trader shows how SpaceX’s energy needs are becoming a bigger part of its business. The company’s latest move could give it greater control over the fuel and electricity needed for its ambitions in space, manufacturing and artificial intelligence-related infrastructure.