Gina Rinehart, Australia's wealthiest person, has invested more than $1 billion in SpaceX, according to The Wall Street Journal. Reuters confirmed the amount. She made this purchase through Hancock Prospecting, the mining company she controls.

SpaceX is not a public company. You cannot buy its shares on the stock market like you can with Apple or Google. Investors like Rinehart buy stakes directly from the company or join private investment rounds. A $1 billion purchase at this scale requires careful investigation and custom deal terms.

Rinehart made her original fortune from iron ore mining in Western Australia. In recent years, she has invested in other areas — farmland in Australia and stakes in mining companies. SpaceX is different. It is a U.S. company that launches rockets, operates Starlink (a satellite internet service), and has contracts with NASA and the U.S. military.

Why does SpaceX want this investment? Before a company goes public, it builds a shareholder base that looks respectable and diverse. Rinehart's $1 billion stake makes SpaceX look more solid to future investors and the public. It also means SpaceX does not depend too heavily on any one type of investor.

The percentage Rinehart owns is small. SpaceX has been valued at above $350 billion in private market trades, so her $1 billion stake is less than 1 percent of the company. That is normal for very large private companies. What is less common is that the money comes from an Australian mining company, not from a venture capital firm or a country's sovereign wealth fund.

Rinehart is not buying SpaceX to run it or gain business advantages for her mining operations. She is making a financial bet: when SpaceX eventually goes public, her stake should be worth more. This is standard for wealthy investors. They put money into companies they do not operate, betting on future returns.

Rinehart is a controversial figure in Australia. Some praise her as a successful industrialist. Others criticize her over labor disputes and climate positions. Either way, her willingness to invest this much in a U.S. technology company shows that top Australian wealth is increasingly comfortable taking risks in global markets.

Neither SpaceX nor Hancock Prospecting has made an official statement about the deal.