SpaceX's debut as a public company has placed before investors an ancient question dressed in futuristic clothing: how long must faith precede proof? The company nearly doubled its quarterly revenue to $7.8 billion, yet spent $18.4 billion in the same period — a ratio that speaks less to failure than to the staggering cost of attempting to reshape civilisation's infrastructure. From satellite internet to orbital data centres to Mars, Elon Musk is wagering that the distance between ambition and return can be bridged before the money runs out.