Jump to content

SpaceX

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Space x)
This article is about the rocket and spacecraft manufacturer. For the British art gallery, see Spacex (art gallery).
"Space Exploration Technologies" redirects here. For the general topics, see Space exploration and Space technology.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
SpaceX
Company typePrivate
Industry
FoundedMarch 14, 2002 (22 years ago) (2002-03-14) in El Segundo, California, U.S.[1]
FounderElon Musk
HeadquartersSpaceX Starbase,
Brownsville, Texas
,
United States
Key people
Products
RevenueIncrease US$4.6 billion (2022)[4]
Negative increase US$−559 million (2022)[4]
Owner
  • Elon Musk (42% equity; 79% voting control)[5]
Number of employees
13,000+[6] (September 2023)
Subsidiaries
Websitespacex.com
This article is part of
a series about
Elon Musk
Personal
Companies
In popular culture
Related
Elon Musk's signature

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an American space technology company. Since its founding in 2001, the company has made numerous advancements in rocket propulsion, reusable launch vehicle, human spaceflight and satellite constellation technology. By the late 2010s, SpaceX had become the world's dominant space launch provider, its launch cadence rivaling that of the Chinese space program[8] and eclipsing all those of its private competitors.[9] SpaceX, NASA and the United States Armed Forces work closely together by means of governmental contracts.[10]

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2001 with a vision of decreasing the costs of space launches, paving the way to a sustainable colony on Mars. In 2008, when SpaceX was almost bankrupt, Falcon 1 successfully launched into orbit after three failed launch attempts. The company then pivoted towards the development of the larger Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon 1 capsule to satisfy NASA's COTS contracts for deliveries to the International Space Station. By 2012, SpaceX finished all COTS test flights and began delivering Commercial Resupply Services missions to the International Space Station. Also around that time, SpaceX started developing hardware to make the Falcon 9 first stage reusable. The company demonstrated the first successful first-stage landing in 2015 and re-launch of the first stage in 2017. Falcon Heavy, built from three Falcon 9 boosters, first flew in 2018 after a more than decade-long development process. As of October 2024, the company's Falcon 9 rockets have landed and flown again more than 330 times, reaching 1-2 launches a week.

These milestones delivered the company much-needed investment and SpaceX sought to diversify its sources of income. In 2019, the first operational satellite of the Starlink internet satellite constellation came online. In subsequent years, Starlink generated the bulk of SpaceX's income and paved the way for its Starshield military counterpart. In 2020, SpaceX began to operate its Dragon 2 capsules to deliver crewed missions for NASA and private entities. Around this time, SpaceX began building test prototypes for Starship, which is the largest launch vehicle in history and aims to fully realize the company's vision of a fully-reusable, cost-effective and adaptable launch vehicle. SpaceX is also developing its own space suit and astronaut via its Polaris program[11] as well as developing the human lander for lunar missions under NASA's Artemis program.[12] SpaceX is not publicly traded; a space industry newspaper estimated that SpaceX has a revenue of over US$10 billion in 2024.[13]

History

[edit]
Main article: History of SpaceX
See also: List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches

2001–2004: Founding

[edit]

In early 2001, Elon Musk met Robert Zubrin and donated US$100,000 to his Mars Society, joining its board of directors for a short time.[14]: 30–31  He gave a plenary talk at their fourth convention where he announced Mars Oasis, a project to land a greenhouse and grow plants on Mars.[15][16] Musk initially attempted to acquire a Dnepr intercontinental ballistic missile for the project through Russian contacts from Jim Cantrell.[17]

Musk then returned with his team a second time to Moscow this time bringing Michael Griffin as well, but found the Russians increasingly unreceptive.[18][19] On the flight home Musk announced he could start a company to build the affordable rockets they needed instead.[19] By applying vertical integration,[18] using inexpensive commercial off-the-shelf components when possible,[19] and adopting the modular approach of modern software engineering, Musk believed SpaceX could significantly cut launch costs.[19]

In early 2002, Elon Musk started to look for staff for his company, soon to be named SpaceX. Musk approached five people for the initial positions at the fledgling company, including Michael Griffin, who declined the position of Chief Engineer,[20]: 11  Jim Cantrell and John Garvey (Cantrell and Garvey would later found the company Vector Launch), rocket engineer Tom Mueller, and Chris Thompson.[20][21] SpaceX was first headquartered in a warehouse in El Segundo, California. Early SpaceX employees, such as Tom Mueller (CTO), Gwynne Shotwell (COO), and Chris Thompson (VP of Operations), came from neighboring TRW and Boeing corporations. By November 2005, the company had 160 employees.[22] Musk personally interviewed and approved all of SpaceX's early employees.[20]: 22 

Musk has stated that one of his goals with SpaceX is to decrease the cost and improve the reliability of access to space, ultimately by a factor of ten.[23]

2005–2009: Falcon 1 and first orbital launches

[edit]
Main article: Falcon 1
The first successful Falcon 1 launch in September 2008

SpaceX developed its first orbital launch vehicle, the Falcon 1, with internal funding.[24][25] The Falcon 1 was an expendable two-stage-to-orbit small-lift launch vehicle. The total development cost of Falcon 1 was approximately $90 million[26] to $100 million.[20]: 215 

The Falcon rocket series was named after Star Wars's Millennium Falcon fictional spacecraft.[27]

In 2004, SpaceX protested against NASA to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) because of a sole-source contract awarded to Kistler Aerospace. Before the GAO could respond, NASA withdrew the contract, and formed the COTS program.[20]: 109–110 [28] In 2005, SpaceX announced plans to pursue a human-rated commercial space program through the end of the decade, a program that would later become the Dragon spacecraft.[29] In 2006, the company was selected by NASA and awarded $396 million to provide crew and cargo resupply demonstration contracts to the International Space Station (ISS) under the COTS program.[30]

The first two Falcon 1 launches were purchased by the United States Department of Defense under the DARPA Falcon Project which evaluated new US launch vehicles suitable for use in hypersonic missile delivery for Prompt Global Strike.[25][31][32] The first three launches of the rocket, between 2006 and 2008, all resulted in failures, which almost ended the company. Financing for Tesla Motors had failed, as well,[33] and consequently Tesla, SolarCity, and Musk personally were all nearly bankrupt at the same time.[20]: 178–182  Musk was reportedly "waking from nightmares, screaming and in physical pain" because of the stress.[20]: 216 

The financial situation started to turn around with the first successful launch achieved on the fourth attempt on 28 September 2008. Musk split his remaining $30 million between SpaceX and Tesla, and NASA awarded the first Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract awarding $1.6 billion to SpaceX in December, thus financially saving the company.[20]: 217–221  Based on these factors and the further business operations they enabled, the Falcon 1 was soon retired following its second successful, and fifth total, launch in July 2009. This allowed SpaceX to focus company resources on the development of a larger orbital rocket, the Falcon 9.[34] Gwynne Shotwell was also promoted to company president at the time, for her role in successfully negotiating the CRS contract with the NASA Associate Administrator Bill Gerstenmaier.[35][20]: 222 

2010–2012: Falcon 9, Dragon, and NASA contracts

[edit]
Video of the first launch of Falcon 9

SpaceX originally intended to follow its light Falcon 1 launch vehicle with an intermediate capacity vehicle, the Falcon 5.[36] The company instead decided in 2005 to proceed with the development of the Falcon 9, a reusable heavier lift vehicle. Development of the Falcon 9 was accelerated by NASA, which committed to purchasing several commercial flights if specific capabilities were demonstrated. This started with seed money from the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program in 2006.[37] The overall contract award was $278 million to provide development funding for the Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9, and demonstration launches of Falcon 9 with Dragon.[37] As part of this contract, the Falcon 9 launched for the first time in June 2010 with the Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit, using a mockup of the Dragon spacecraft.

The first operational Dragon spacecraft was launched in December 2010 aboard COTS Demo Flight 1, the Falcon 9's second flight, and safely returned to Earth after two orbits, completing all its mission objectives.[38] By December 2010, the SpaceX production line was manufacturing one Falcon 9 and Dragon every three months.[39]

In April 2011, as part of its second-round Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, NASA issued a $75 million contract for SpaceX to develop an integrated launch escape system for Dragon in preparation for human-rating it as a crew transport vehicle to the ISS.[40] NASA awarded SpaceX a fixed-price Space Act Agreement (SAA) to produce a detailed design of the crew transportation system in August 2012.[41]

In early 2012, approximately two-thirds of SpaceX stock was owned by Musk[42] and his seventy million shares were then estimated to be worth $875 million on private markets,[43] valuing SpaceX at $1.3 billion.[44] In May 2012, with the Dragon C2+ launch, Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.[45] After the flight, the company private equity valuation nearly doubled to $2.4 billion or $20/share.[46][47] By that time, SpaceX had operated on total funding of approximately $1 billion over its first decade of operation. Of this, private equity provided approximately $200 million, with Musk investing approximately $100 million and other investors having put in about $100 million.[48]

SpaceX's active reusability test program began in late 2012 with testing low-altitude, low-speed aspects of the landing technology.[49] The Falcon 9 prototypes performed vertical takeoffs and landings (VTOL). High-velocity, high-altitude tests of the booster atmospheric return technology began in late 2013.[49]

2013–2015: Commercial launches and rapid growth

[edit]
Launch of Falcon 9 carrying ORBCOMM OG2-M1, July 2014

SpaceX launched the first commercial mission for a private customer in 2013. In 2014, SpaceX won nine contracts out of the 20 that were openly competed worldwide.[50] That year Arianespace requested that European governments provide additional subsidies to face the competition from SpaceX.[51][52] Beginning in 2014, SpaceX capabilities and pricing also began to affect the market for launch of U.S. military payloads, which for nearly a decade had been dominated by the large U.S. launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA).[53] The monopoly had allowed launch costs by the U.S. provider to rise to over $400 million over the years.[54] In September 2014, NASA's Director of Commercial Spaceflight, Kevin Crigler, awarded SpaceX the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract to finalize the development of the Crew Transportation System. The contract included several technical and certification milestones, an uncrewed flight test, a crewed flight test, and six operational missions after certification.[41]

In January 2015, SpaceX raised $1 billion in funding from Google and Fidelity Investments, in exchange for 8.33% of the company, establishing the company valuation at approximately $12 billion.[55] The same month SpaceX announced the development of a new satellite constellation, called Starlink, to provide global broadband internet service with 4,000 satellites.[56]

The Falcon 9 had its first major failure in late June 2015, when the seventh ISS resupply mission, CRS-7 exploded two minutes into the flight. The problem was traced to a failed 2-foot-long steel strut that held a helium pressure vessel, which broke free due to the force of acceleration. This caused a breach and allowed high-pressure helium to escape into the low-pressure propellant tank, causing the failure.[57]

2015–2017: Reusability milestones

[edit]
Falcon 9 first stage on an autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) barge after the first successful landing at sea, SpaceX CRS-8 mission

SpaceX first achieved a successful landing and recovery of a first stage in December 2015 with Falcon 9 Flight 20.[58] In April 2016, the company achieved the first successful landing on the autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) Of Course I Still Love You in the Atlantic Ocean.[59] By October 2016, following the successful landings, SpaceX indicated they were offering their customers a 10% price discount if they choose to fly their payload on a reused Falcon 9 first stage.[60]

A second major rocket failure happened in early September 2016, when a Falcon 9 exploded during a propellant fill operation for a standard pre-launch static fire test. The payload, the AMOS-6 communications satellite valued at $200 million, was destroyed.[61] The explosion was caused by the liquid oxygen that is used as propellant turning so cold that it solidified and ignited with carbon composite helium vessels.[62] Though not considered an unsuccessful flight, the rocket explosion sent the company into a four-month launch hiatus while it worked out what went wrong. SpaceX returned to flight in January 2017.[63]

In March 2017, SpaceX launched a returned Falcon 9 for the SES-10 satellite. This was the first time a re-launch of a payload-carrying orbital rocket went back to space.[64] The first stage was recovered again, also making it the first landing of a reused orbital class rocket.[65]

2017–2018: Leading global commercial launch provider

[edit]

In July 2017, the company raised $350 million, which raised its valuation to $21 billion.[66] In 2017, SpaceX achieved a 45% global market share for awarded commercial launch contracts.[67] By March 2018, SpaceX had more than 100 launches on its manifest representing about $12 billion in contract revenue.[68] The contracts included both commercial and government (NASA/DOD) customers.[69] This made SpaceX the leading global commercial launch provider measured by manifested launches.[70]

In 2017, SpaceX formed a subsidiary, The Boring Company,[71] and began work to construct a short test tunnel on and adjacent to the SpaceX headquarters and manufacturing facility, using a small number of SpaceX employees,[72] which was completed in May 2018,[73] and opened to the public in December 2018.[74] During 2018, The Boring Company was spun out into a separate corporate entity with 6% of the equity going to SpaceX, less than 10% to early employees, and the remainder of the equity to Elon Musk.[74]

[edit]

In 2019 SpaceX raised $1.33 billion of capital across three funding rounds.[75] By May 2019, the valuation of SpaceX had risen to $33.3 billion[76] and reached $36 billion by March 2020.[77]

On 19 August 2020, after a $1.9 billion funding round, one of the largest single fundraising pushes by any privately held company, SpaceX's valuation increased to $46 billion.[78][79][80]

In February 2021, SpaceX raised an additional $1.61 billion in an equity round from 99 investors[81] at a per share value of approximately $420,[80] raising the company valuation to approximately $74 billion. By 2021, SpaceX had raised more than $6 billion in equity financing. Most of the capital raised since 2019 has been used to support the operational fielding of the Starlink satellite constellation and the development and manufacture of the Starship launch vehicle.[81] By October 2021, the valuation of SpaceX had risen to $100.3 billion.[82] On 16 April 2021, Starship HLS won a contract to play a critical role in the NASA crewed spaceflight Artemis program.[83] By 2021, SpaceX had entered into agreements with Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure to provide on-ground computer and networking services for Starlink.[84] A new round of financing in 2022 valued SpaceX at $127 billion.[85]

In July 2021, SpaceX unveiled another drone ship named A Shortfall of Gravitas, landing a booster from CRS-23 on it for the first time on 29 August 2021.[86] Within the first 130 days of 2022, SpaceX had 18 rocket launches and two astronaut splashdowns. On 13 December 2021, company CEO Elon Musk announced that the company was starting a carbon dioxide removal program that would convert captured carbon into rocket fuel,[87][88] after he announced a $100 million donation to the X Prize Foundation the previous February to provide the monetary rewards to winners in a contest to develop the best carbon capture technology.[89][90]

In August 2022, Reuters reported that the European Space Agency (ESA) began initial discussions with SpaceX that could lead to the company's launchers being used temporarily, given that Russia blocked access to Soyuz rockets amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[91] Since that invasion and in the greater war between Russia and Ukraine, Starlink was extensively used.[92]

In 2022, SpaceX's Falcon 9 also became the world record holder for the most launches of a single vehicle type in a single year.[93][94][non-primary source needed] SpaceX launched a rocket approximately every six days in 2022, with 61 launches in total. All but one (a Falcon Heavy in November) was on a Falcon 9 rocket.[93]

In November 2023, SpaceX announced it would acquire its parachute supplier Pioneer Aerospace out of bankruptcy for $2.2 million.[95][96]

2024 headquarters move from California to Texas

[edit]
Main article: SAFETY Act (California law) § Elon Musk

On 16 July 2024, Elon Musk posted on X that SpaceX would move its headquarters from Hawthorne, California, to SpaceX Starbase in Brownsville, Texas. Musk said this was because the recently passed California AB1955 bill "and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies".[97] This new law in California bans school districts from requiring that teachers notify parents about changes to a student’s sexual orientation and gender identity.[98] The headquarters officially moved to Brownsville, Texas in August 2024, according to records filed with the California Secretary of State.[99]

The move to relocate SpaceX's headquarters was seen as largely symbolic, at least in the short term. The Hawthorne facility continues to support the company's Falcon launch vehicles, which was SpaceX's workhorse product in 2024.

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission featured the first-ever private spacewalk, marking a major milestone in commercial space exploration.[100]

Starship

[edit]
refer to caption
Starship in launch position

In January 2019, SpaceX announced it would lay off 10% of its workforce to help finance the Starship and Starlink projects.[101] The purpose of the Starship vehicle is to enable large-scale transit of humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.[102] SpaceX's Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown, with a payload capacity of 100+ tons.[103][104] Construction of initial prototypes and tests for Starship started in early 2019 in Florida and Texas. All Starship construction and testing moved to the new SpaceX South Texas launch site later that year.

On 20 April 2023, Starship's first orbital flight test ended in a mid-air explosion over the Gulf of Mexico before booster separation. After launch, multiple engines in the booster progressively failed, causing the vehicle to reach max q later than planned. "Max q" is the theoretical point of maximal mechanical stress which occurs during the launch sequence of a space vehicle. In the case of a rocket that must be self-destructed during its ascent, max q occurs at the point of self-destruction. Eventually, the vehicle lost control and spun erratically until the automated flight termination system was activated, which intentionally destroyed the rocket. Elon Musk, SpaceX, and other individuals familiar with the space industry have referred to the test flight as a success.[105][106]

Musk said at the time that it would take "six to eight weeks" to get the infrastructure prepared for another launch. In October 2023, a senior SpaceX executive stated the company had been ready to launch the next test flight since September. He accused government regulators of disrupting the project's progress, adding the delay could lead to China beating US astronauts back to the Moon.[107][108]

On 18 November 2023, SpaceX launched its second integrated Starship test, with both vehicles flying for a few minutes before separately exploding.[109][110][111][112]

In early March 2024 SpaceX announced that it was targeting 14 March as the tentative launch date for its next uncrewed Starship launch configuration flight test, pending the issuance of a "launch license" by the FAA. This license was granted on 13 March 2024.[113] On 14 March 2024 at 13:25 UTC, Starship launched for the 3rd time and for the first time Starship reached its planned suborbital trajectory. The flight ended with the booster experiencing a malfunction shortly before landing and the ship being lost during reentry over the Indian Ocean.[103][104]

On 4 June 2024, SpaceX received the launch license for Starship's 4th test flight. The licensure itself was notable in that it was the first time that the FAA included a clause that would allow SpaceX to launch subsequent test flights without a mishap investigation, provided that they met a similar launch profile and used the same specification of hardware. The provision could prove to speed the development timeline.[114]

On October 12, 2024, SpaceX Receives FAA Approval for Long-Awaited 5th Unscrewed Starship Test Launch, Meeting Safety and Environmental Standards.[115]

Crewed launches

[edit]
NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley (left) and Robert Behnken (right) wearing custom-fit spacesuits designed by SpaceX.

A significant milestone was achieved in May 2020, when SpaceX successfully launched two NASA astronauts (Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken) into orbit on a Crew Dragon spacecraft during Crew Dragon Demo-2, making SpaceX the first private company to send astronauts to the International Space Station and marking the first crewed orbital launch from American soil in 9 years.[116][117] The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) in Florida.[118]

[edit]

In May 2019, SpaceX launched the first large batch of 60 Starlink satellites, beginning to deploy what would become the world's largest commercial satellite constellation the following year.[119] In 2022, most SpaceX launches focused on Starlink, a consumer internet business that sends batches of internet-beaming satellites and now has over 6,000 satellites in orbit.[120]

On 16 July 2021, SpaceX entered an agreement to acquire Swarm Technologies, a private company building a low Earth orbit satellite constellation for communications with Internet of things (IoT) devices, for $524 million.[121][4]

In December 2022, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the launch up to 7,500 of SpaceX's next-generation satellites in its Starlink internet network.[122]

Summary of achievements

[edit]
Date Achievement Flight
28 September 2008 First privately funded, fully liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit.[123] Falcon 1 Flight 4
14 July 2009 First privately funded, fully liquid-fueled rocket to put a commercial satellite in orbit. Falcon 1 Flight 5
9 December 2010 First private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft. SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1
25 May 2012 First private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).[124] SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2
22 December 2015 First landing of an orbital-class rocket's first stage on land. Falcon 9 Flight 20
8 April 2016 First landing of an orbital-class rocket's first stage on an ocean platform. SpaceX CRS-8
30 March 2017 First reuse and (second) landing of an orbital first stage.[64] SES-10
First controlled flyback and recovery of a payload fairing.[125]
3 June 2017 First reuse of a commercial cargo spacecraft.[126] SpaceX CRS-11
6 February 2018 First private spacecraft launched into heliocentric orbit. Falcon Heavy test flight
2 March 2019 First private company to send a human-rated spacecraft to orbit. Crew Dragon Demo-1
3 March 2019 First private company to autonomously dock a human-rated spacecraft to the ISS.
25 July 2019 First flight of a full-flow staged combustion cycle engine (Raptor).[127] Starhopper
11 November 2019 First reuse of a payload fairing.[128] Starlink 2 v1.0
30 May 2020 First private company to send humans into orbit.[129] Crew Dragon Demo-2
First private company to send humans to the ISS.[130]
24 January 2021 Most spacecraft launched on a single mission, 143 satellites.[a][131] Transporter-1
23 April 2021 First reuse of a crewed space capsule.[132] SpaceX Crew-2 / Endeavour
First reused booster to send humans into orbit.
17 June 2021 First reused booster to launch a 'national security' mission.[133] GPS III-05
16 September 2021 First orbital launch of an all-private crew.[134][135] Inspiration4
24 November 2021 Longest streak of orbital launches without a mission failure or partial failure for a single rocket type (Falcon 9, 101 launches).[136] Double Asteroid Redirection Test
9 April 2022 First all-private crew to dock with the International Space Station.[137] Axiom Mission 1
20 October 2022 Highest number of launches of a single rocket type in a calendar year (Falcon 9, 48 launches).[138] Starlink 4-36
20 April 2023 Tallest, most powerful rocket to ever launch.[139][140] SpaceX Starship orbital test flight
14 March 2024 Starship reaches intended orbital velocity for the first time.[141] SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 3
12 April 2024 A single Falcon 9 booster reused for the 20th time.[142] Booster 1062
12 September 2024 First commercial spacewalk Polaris Dawn
13 October 2024 First Super Heavy booster catch Starship flight test 5
  1. ^ Excluding the passive objects launched as part of Project West Ford

Hardware

[edit]

Launch vehicles

[edit]
Main article: SpaceX launch vehicles
The landing of a Falcon 9 Block 5 first stage at Cape Canaveral in July 2019. VTVL technologies are used in many of SpaceX's launch vehicles.

SpaceX has developed three launch vehicles. The small-lift Falcon 1 was the first launch vehicle developed and was retired in 2009. The medium-lift Falcon 9 and the heavy-lift Falcon Heavy are both operational.

Falcon 1 was a small rocket capable of placing several hundred kilograms into low Earth orbit. It launched five times between 2006 and 2009, of which two were successful.[143] The Falcon 1 was the first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit.[123]

Falcon 9 is a medium-lift launch vehicle capable of delivering up to 22,800 kilograms (50,265 lb) to orbit, competing with the Delta IV and the Atlas V rockets, as well as other launch providers around the world. It has nine Merlin engines in its first stage. The Falcon 9 v1.0 rocket successfully reached orbit on its first attempt on 4 June 2010. Its third flight, COTS Demo Flight 2, launched on 22 May 2012 and launched the first commercial spacecraft to reach and dock with the International Space Station (ISS).[45] The vehicle was upgraded to Falcon 9 v1.1 in 2013, Falcon 9 Full Thrust in 2015, and finally to Falcon 9 Block 5 in 2018. The first stage of Falcon 9 is designed to retro propulsively land, be recovered, and flown again.[144]

Falcon Heavy is a heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of delivering up to 63,800 kg (140,700 lb) to Low Earth orbit (LEO) or 26,700 kg (58,900 lb) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). It uses three slightly modified Falcon 9 first-stage cores with a total of 27 Merlin 1D engines.[145][146] The Falcon Heavy successfully flew its inaugural mission on 6 February 2018, launching Musk's personal Tesla Roadster into heliocentric orbit[147]

Both the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are certified to conduct launches for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL).[148][149] As of 5 November 2024, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy have been launched 402 times, resulting in 399 full mission successes, one partial success, and one in-flight failure. In addition, a Falcon 9 experienced a pre-flight failure before a static fire test in 2016.[150][151]

SpaceX is developing a fully reusable super-heavy lift launch system known as Starship. It comprises a reusable first stage, called Super Heavy, and the reusable Starship second stage space vehicle. As of 2017, the system was intended to supersede the company's existing launch vehicle hardware by the early 2020s.[152][153]

Rocket engines

[edit]
Main article: SpaceX rocket engines
Merlin 1D engine undergoes a test at SpaceX's Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas

Since the founding of SpaceX in 2002, the company has developed several rocket engines – Merlin, Kestrel, and Raptor – for use in launch vehicles,[154][155] Draco for the reaction control system of the Dragon series of spacecraft,[156] and SuperDraco for abort capability in Crew Dragon.[157]

Merlin is a family of rocket engines that uses liquid oxygen (LOX) and RP-1 propellants. Merlin was first used to power the Falcon 1's first stage and is now used on both stages of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles.[158] Kestrel uses the same propellants and was used as the Falcon 1 rocket's second-stage main engine.[155][159]

Draco and SuperDraco are hypergolic liquid-propellant rocket engines. Draco engines are used on the reaction control system of the Dragon and Dragon 2 spacecraft.[156] The SuperDraco engine is more powerful, and eight SuperDraco engines provide launch escape capability for crewed Dragon 2 spacecraft during an abort scenario.[160]

Raptor is a new family of liquid oxygen and liquid methane-fueled full-flow staged combustion cycle engines to power the first and second stages of the in-development Starship launch system.[154] Development versions were test-fired in late 2016,[161] and the engine flew for the first time in 2019, powering the Starhopper vehicle to an altitude of 20 m (66 ft).[162]

Dragon spacecraft

[edit]
Main articles: Dragon 1 and Dragon 2
SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft, designed to deliver crew and cargo to and from the International Space Station (cargo version shown)

SpaceX has developed the Dragon spacecraft to transport cargo and crew to the International Space Station (ISS).

The first-generation Dragon 1 spacecraft was used only for cargo operations. It was developed with financial support from NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. After a successful COTS demonstration flight in 2010, SpaceX was chosen to receive a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract.[38]

The currently operational second-generation Dragon 2 spacecraft conducted its first flight, without crew, to the ISS in early 2019, followed by a crewed flight of Dragon 2 in 2020.[116] It was developed with financial support from NASA under the Commercial Crew Program program. The cargo variant of Dragon 2 flew for the first time in December 2020, for a resupply to the ISS as part of the CRS contract with NASA.[163]

In March 2020 SpaceX revealed the Dragon XL, designed as a resupply spacecraft for NASA's planned Lunar Gateway space station under a Gateway Logistics Services (GLS) contract.[164] Dragon XL is planned to launch on the Falcon Heavy, and is able to transport over 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) to the Gateway. Dragon XL will be docked at the Gateway for six to twelve months at a time.[165]

SpaceX designed a spacesuit to be worn inside the Dragon spacecraft to protect from possible depressurization.[166] On 4 May 2024, SpaceX unveiled a second spacesuit designed for extravehicular activity, planned to be used for a spacewalk during the Polaris Dawn mission.[167]

Autonomous spaceport drone ships

[edit]
Main articles: SpaceX reusable launch system development program, Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests, and Autonomous spaceport drone ship
Autonomous spaceport drone ship in position prior to CRS-6 mission

SpaceX routinely returns the first stage of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets after orbital launches. The rocket lands at a predetermined landing site using only its propulsion systems.[168] When propellant margins do not permit a return to a launch site (RTLS), rockets return to a floating landing platform in the ocean, called autonomous spaceport drone ships (ASDS).[169]

SpaceX also plans to introduce floating launch platforms. These are modified oil rigs to use in the 2020s to provide a sea launch option for their second-generation launch vehicle: the heavy-lift Starship system, consisting of the Super Heavy booster and Starship second stage.

[edit]
Main article: Starlink
Sixty Starlink satellites stacked together before deployment

Starlink is an internet satellite constellation under development by Starlink Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SpaceX,[7][170] that consists of thousands of cross-linked communications satellites in ~550 km orbits. Its goal is to address the significant unmet demand worldwide for low-cost broadband capabilities.[171] Development began in 2015, and initial prototype test-flight satellites were launched on the SpaceX Paz satellite mission in 2017. In May 2019, SpaceX launched the first batch of 60 satellites aboard a Falcon 9.[172] Initial test operation of the constellation began in late 2020[173] and first orders were taken in early 2021.[174] Customers were told to expect internet service speeds of 50 Mbit/s to 150 Mbit/s and latency from 20 ms to 40 ms.[175] In December 2022, Starlink reached over 1 million subscribers worldwide.[176]

The planned large number of Starlink satellites has been criticized by astronomers due to concerns over light pollution,[177][178][179] with the brightness of Starlink satellites in both optical and radio wavelengths interfering with scientific observations.[180] In response, SpaceX has implemented several upgrades to Starlink satellites aimed at reducing their brightness.[181] The large number of satellites employed by Starlink also creates long-term dangers of space debris collisions.[182][183] However, the satellites are equipped with krypton-fueled Hall thrusters which allow them to de-orbit at the end of their life. They are also designed to autonomously avoid collisions based on uplinked tracking data.[184]

In December 2022, SpaceX announced Starshield, a program to incorporate military or government entity payloads on board a Starlink-derived satellite bus. The Space Development Agency is a key customer procuring satellites for a space-based missile defense system.[185][186]

In June 2024, SpaceX introduced a compact version of its Starlink antennas, the "Starlink Mini," designed for mobile satellite internet use. Offered for $599 in an early access release, it was more expensive than the base model. The Mini antenna, half the size and one-third the weight of the Standard version, featured a built-in WiFi router, lower power consumption, and over 100 Mbps download speeds.[187]

Other projects

[edit]
Main article: Hyperloop pod competition

Hyperloop

[edit]

In June 2015, SpaceX announced that it would sponsor a Hyperloop competition, and would build a 1.6 km (0.99 mi) long subscale test track near SpaceX's headquarters for the competitive events.[188][189] The company held the annual competition from 2017 to 2019.[190]

COVID-19 antibody-testing program

[edit]

In collaboration with doctors and academic researchers, SpaceX invited all employees to participate in the creation of a COVID-19 antibody-testing program in 2020. As such, 4300 employees volunteered to provide blood samples resulting in a peer-reviewed scientific paper crediting eight SpaceX employees as coauthors and suggesting that a certain level of COVID-19 antibodies may provide lasting protection against the virus.[191][192]

Other

[edit]

In July 2018, Musk arranged for his employees to build a mini-submarine to assist the rescue of children stuck in a flooded cavern in Thailand.[193] Richard Stanton, leader of the international rescue diving team, encouraged Musk to facilitate the construction of the vehicle as a backup in case flooding worsened. However, Stanton later concluded that the mini-submarine would not work and said that Musk's involvement "distracted from the rescue effort".[194][195] Engineers at SpaceX and The Boring Company built the mini-submarine from a Falcon 9 liquid oxygen transfer tube in eight hours and personally delivered it to Thailand.[196][197] Thai authorities ultimately declined to use the submarine, stating that it wasn't practical for the rescue mission.[193]

Facilities

[edit]

SpaceX is headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase near Brownsville, Texas, where it manufactures and launches its Starship vehicle. However most of the company's operations are based out of its office in Hawthorne, California where it was previously headquartered, where it builds Falcon rockets and Dragon spacecraft, and where it houses its mission control.

The company also operates a Starlink satellite manufacturing facilities in Redmond, Washington, a rocket development and test facility in McGregor, Texas,[198] and maintains an office in the Washington, D.C. area, close to key government customers.[199]

SpaceX has two active launch sites in Florida, one active launch site in California and one active launch site at Starbase in Texas.

Hawthorne, CA: Falcon and Dragon manufacturing, mission control

[edit]
SpaceX office in Hawthorne, California at night during a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base

SpaceX operates a large facility in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, California. The three-story building, originally built by Northrop Corporation to build Boeing 747 fuselages,[200] houses SpaceX's office space, mission control, and Falcon 9 manufacturing facilities.[201]

The area has one of the largest concentrations of space sector headquarters, facilities, and/or subsidiaries in the U.S., including Boeing/McDonnell Douglas main satellite building campuses, The Aerospace Corporation, Raytheon, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States Space Force's Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and AECOM, etc., with a large pool of aerospace engineers and recent college engineering graduates.[200]

SpaceX uses a high degree of vertical integration in the production of its rockets and rocket engines.[18] SpaceX builds its rocket engines, rocket stages, spacecraft, principal avionics and all software in-house in their Hawthorne facility, which is unusual for the space industry.[18]

The Hawthorne facility was SpaceX's headquarters until August 2024. However, the move to relocate SpaceX's headquarters was seen as largely symbolic, at least in the short term, as the facility will remain to the company’s operations.[202]

Boca Chica, TX: Starship manufacturing, launch

[edit]
Main article: SpaceX Starbase
The Starship assembly building at SpaceX Starbase in Texas

SpaceX manufactures and flies Starship test vehicles from the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica near Brownsville, Texas, having announced first plans for the launch facility in August 2014.[203][204] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the permit in July 2014.[205] SpaceX broke ground on the new launch facility in 2014 with construction ramping up in the latter half of 2015,[206] with the first suborbital launches from the facility in 2019[201] and orbital launches starting in 2023.

SpaceX has faced increased scrutiny over the environmental impact of its Starbase facility.[207][208][209] In August 2024, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality cited SpaceX for violating environmental regulations by repeatedly releasing pollutants into water near the Boca Chica launch site.[210] The EPA fined SpaceX approximately $150,000 for allegedly discharging "industrial wastewater" and violating the Clean Water Act.[211]

McGregor, TX: Rocket Development and Test Facility

[edit]
Main article: SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility
Aerial view of the SpaceX McGregor engine testing facility, 2008

SpaceX's Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas is a rocket engine test facility. Every rocket engine and thruster manufactured by SpaceX must pass through McGregor for final testing being used on flight missions.[212][213] The facility also serves as a testing ground for various components and engines during the research and development process.[214] In addition to engine testing, after splashdown and recovery, Dragon spacecraft make a stop at McGregor to have their hazardous hypergolic propellant fuels removed, before the capsules continue on to Hawthorne for refurbishment.[212]

SpaceX calls the facility the most advanced and active rocket engine test facility in the world, and said that as of 2024, over 7,000 tests had been conducted at the facility since it opened, with seven engine test fires on a typical day, across more than a dozen test stands.[215] Despite its low-profile compared to the company's other facilities, is a critical part of SpaceX's operations, and company president and COO Gwynne Shotwell maintains her primary office in McGregor.[216][212]

Originally the site of the Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant during World War II,[214] the facility was later used by Beal Aerospace before being leased by SpaceX in 2003.[217] The company has since expanded it significantly from 256 acres (104 ha) in 2003[214] to 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) by 2015.[215] In July 2021, SpaceX announced plans to build a second production facility for Raptor engines at McGregor. This expansion is expected to significantly increase SpaceX's production capacity, with the goal of producing 800 to 1,000 Raptor engines per year.[218][219]

[edit]
Starlink user terminal on the sidewalk of a residential home.

SpaceX's Starlink subsidiary operates over two main facilities. Satellite manufacturing takes place near Seattle, Washington while user terminal manufacturing takes place near Austin, Texas.

Starlink's satellite development and manufacturing operations campus occupies over 314,000 square feet (29,200 m2) in at least six buildings located in Redmond, Washington, east of Seattle. The first building opened in early 2015,[220] and the company later expanded into five buildings on the Redmond Ridge Corporate Center.[221][222]

Starlink opened a user terminal manufacturing facility in Bastrop, Texas, east of Austin in December 2023. In its first nine months of operation, the one-million-square-foot (93,000 m2) facility produced one million user terminals and was on track to become the largest factory for printed circuit boards in the United States.[223]

Launch facilities

[edit]
Main article: SpaceX launch facilities
Falcon Heavy Side Boosters landing on LZ1 and LZ2 at Cape Canaveral

SpaceX operates four orbital launch sites, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for Falcon rockets, and Starbase near Brownsville, Texas for Starship. SpaceX has indicated that they see a niche for each of the four orbital facilities and that they have sufficient launch business to fill each pad.[224] The Vandenberg launch site enables highly inclined orbits (66–145°), while Cape Canaveral and Kennedy enable orbits of medium inclination (28.5–55°).[225] Larger inclinations, including SSO, are possible from Florida by overflying Cuba.[226]

Before it was retired, all Falcon 1 launches took place at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Omelek Island of the Marshall Islands.[227]

In April 2007, the Pentagon approved the use of Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) by SpaceX.[228] The site has been used since 2010 for Falcon 9 launches, mainly to low Earth and geostationary orbits. The former Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral, now renamed Landing Zones 1 and 2, has since 2015 been used for Falcon 9 first-stage booster landings.[229]

SpaceX west coast launch facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, during the launch of CASSIOPE

Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4E) was leased from the military in 2011 and is used for payloads to polar orbits. The Vandenberg site can launch both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles,[230] but cannot launch to low inclination orbits. The neighboring SLC-4W was converted to Landing Zone 4 in 2015 for booster landings.[231]

On 14 April 2014, SpaceX signed a 20-year lease for Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.[232] The pad was subsequently modified to support Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. As of 2024 it is the only pad that supports Falcon Heavy launches. SpaceX launched its first crewed mission to the ISS from Launch Pad 39A on 30 May 2020.[233] Pad 39A has been prepared since 2019 to eventually accommodate Starship launches. With delays in launch FAA permits for Boca Chica, Texas, the 39A Starship preparation was accelerated in 2022.[234]

Contracts

[edit]
Further information on SpaceX launches: Falcon 1 § Launches, List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches, and List of Starship launches

SpaceX won demonstration and actual supply contracts from NASA for the International Space Station (ISS) with technology the company developed. SpaceX is also certified for U.S. military launches of Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle-class (EELV) payloads. With approximately thirty missions on the manifest for 2018 alone, SpaceX represented over $12 billion under contract.[69]

Cargo to ISS

[edit]
Main articles: Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, Commercial Resupply Services, and Gateway Logistics Services
The COTS 2 Dragon is berthed to the International Space Station (ISS) by Canadarm2

In 2006, SpaceX won a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Phase 1 contract to demonstrate cargo delivery to the ISS, with a possible contract option for crew transport.[235] Through this contract, designed by NASA to provide "seed money" through Space Act Agreements for developing new capabilities, NASA paid SpaceX $396 million to develop the cargo configuration of the Dragon spacecraft, while SpaceX developed the Falcon 9 launch vehicle with their resources.[236] These Space Act Agreements have been shown to have saved NASA millions of dollars in development costs, making rocket development 4–10 times less expensive than if produced by NASA alone.[237]

In December 2010, with the launch of the SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1 mission, SpaceX became the first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft.[238] Dragon successfully berthed with the ISS during SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2 in May 2012, a first for a private spacecraft.[239]

Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) is a series of contracts awarded by NASA from 2008 to 2016 for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the ISS on commercially operated spacecraft. The first CRS contracts were signed in 2008 and awarded $1.6 billion to SpaceX for 12 cargo transport missions, covering deliveries to 2016.[240] SpaceX CRS-1, the first of the 12 planned resupply missions, launched in October 2012, achieved orbit, berthed, and remained on station for 20 days, before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.[241]

CRS missions have flown approximately twice a year to the ISS since then. In 2015, NASA extended the Phase 1 contracts by ordering an additional three resupply flights from SpaceX, and then extended the contract further for a total of twenty cargo missions to the ISS.[242][240][243] The final Dragon 1 mission, SpaceX CRS-20, departed the ISS in April 2020, and Dragon was subsequently retired from service. A second phase of contracts was awarded in January 2016 with SpaceX as one of the awardees. SpaceX will fly up to nine additional CRS flights with the upgraded Dragon 2 spacecraft.[244][245] In March 2020, NASA contracted SpaceX to develop the Dragon XL spacecraft to send supplies to the Lunar Gateway space station. Dragon XL will be launched on a Falcon Heavy.[246]

Crewed

[edit]
See also: Commercial Crew Program
NASA astronauts inside the Dragon spacecraft during the Crew-1 mission rendezvous with the International Space Station

SpaceX is responsible for the transportation of NASA astronauts to and from the ISS. The NASA contracts started as part of the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, aimed at developing commercially operated spacecraft capable of delivering astronauts to the ISS. The first contract was awarded to SpaceX in 2011,[247][248] followed by another in 2012 to continue development and testing of its Dragon 2 spacecraft.[249]

In September 2014, NASA chose SpaceX and Boeing as the two companies that would be funded to develop systems to transport U.S. crews to and from the ISS.[250] SpaceX won $2.6 billion to complete and certify Dragon 2 by 2017. The contracts called for at least one crewed flight test with at least one NASA astronaut aboard. Once Crew Dragon received NASA human-spaceflight certification, the contract required SpaceX to conduct at least two, and as many as six, crewed missions to the space station.[250]

SpaceX completed the first key flight test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, a Pad Abort Test, in May 2015,[251] and successfully conducted a full uncrewed test flight in early 2019. The capsule docked to the ISS and then splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean.[252] In January 2020, SpaceX conducted an in-flight abort test, the last test flight before flying crew, in which the Dragon spacecraft fired its launch escape engines in a simulated abort scenario.[253]

On 30 May 2020, the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission was launched to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the first time a crewed vehicle had launched from the U.S. since 2011, and the first SpaceX commercial crewed launch to the ISS.[254] The Crew-1 mission was successfully launched to the International Space Station on 16 November 2020, with NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker along with JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi,[255] all members of the Expedition 64 crew.[256] On 23 April 2021, Crew-2 was launched to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and K. Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet.[257] The Crew-2 mission successfully docked on 24 April 2021.[258]

Resilience after splashdown

SpaceX also offers paid crewed spaceflights for private individuals. The first of these missions, Inspiration4, launched in 2021 on behalf of Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman. The mission launched the Crew Dragon Resilience from the Florida Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A atop a Falcon 9 launch vehicle, placed the Dragon capsule into low Earth orbit, and ended successfully about three days later when the Resilience splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. All four crew members received commercial astronaut training from SpaceX. The training included lessons in orbital mechanics, operating in a microgravity environment, stress testing, emergency-preparedness training, and mission simulations.[259]

National defense

[edit]
Launch of the STP-2 mission on a Falcon Heavy in June 2019

In 2005, SpaceX announced that it had been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, allowing the United States Air Force to purchase up to $100 million worth of launches from the company.[260] Three years later, NASA announced that it had awarded an IDIQ Launch Services contract to SpaceX for up to $1 billion, depending on the number of missions awarded.[261] In December 2012, SpaceX announced its first two launch contracts with the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded SpaceX two EELV-class missions: Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) and Space Test Program 2 (STP-2). DSCOVR was launched on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle in 2015, while STP-2 was launched on a Falcon Heavy on 25 June 2019.[262]

The Falcon 9 v1.1 was certified for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) in 2015, allowing SpaceX to contract launch services to the Air Force for any payloads classified under national security.[148] This broke the monopoly held since 2006 by United Launch Alliance (ULA) over U.S. Air Force launches of classified payloads.[263] In April 2016, the U.S. Air Force awarded the first such national security launch to SpaceX to launch the second GPS III satellite for $82.7 million.[264] This was approximately 40% less than the estimated cost for similar previous missions.[265] SpaceX also launched the third GPS III launch on 20 June 2020.[266] In March 2018, SpaceX secured an additional $290 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to launch another three GPS III satellites.[267]

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) also purchased launches from SpaceX, with the first taking place on 1 May 2017.[268] In February 2019, SpaceX secured a $297 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to launch another three national security missions, all slated to launch no earlier than FY 2021.[269] In August 2020, the U.S. Space Force awarded its National Security Space Launch (NSSL) contracts for the following 5–7 years. SpaceX won a contract for $316 million for one launch. In addition, SpaceX will handle 40% of the U.S. military's satellite launch requirements over the period.[270]

SpaceX also designs and launches custom military satellites for the Space Development Agency as part of a new missile defense system in low Earth orbit.[271] The constellation would give the United States capabilities to sense, target and potentially intercept nuclear missiles and hypersonic weapons launched from anywhere on Earth.[272] Both China and Russia brought concerns to the United Nations about the program,[273] and various organizations warn it could be destabilizing and trigger an arms race in space.[274][275]

In March 2024, Reuters reported that, as part of a $1.8 billion contract signed with the National Reconnaissance Office in 2021, SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites. This new network, Reuters reported, would be able to operate as a swarm in low orbits.[276]

Launch market competition and pricing pressure

[edit]
Main article: Space launch market competition

SpaceX's low launch prices, especially for communications satellites flying to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), have resulted in market pressure on its competitors to lower their own prices.[18] Prior to 2013, the openly competed comsat launch market had been dominated by Arianespace (flying the Ariane 5) and International Launch Services (flying the Proton).[277] With a published price of $56.5 million per launch to low Earth orbit, Falcon 9 rockets were the least expensive in the industry.[278] European satellite operators are pushing the ESA to reduce launch prices of the Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 rockets as a result of competition from SpaceX.[279]

SpaceX ended the United Launch Alliance (ULA) monopoly of U.S. military payloads when it began to compete for national security launches. In 2015, anticipating a slump in domestic, military, and spy launches, ULA stated that it would go out of business unless it won commercial satellite launch orders.[280] To that end, ULA announced a major restructuring of processes and workforce to decrease launch costs by half.[281][282]

Congressional testimony by SpaceX in 2017 suggested that the NASA Space Act Agreement process of "setting only a high-level requirement for cargo transport to the space station [while] leaving the details to industry" had allowed SpaceX to design and develop the Falcon 9 rocket on its own at a substantially lower cost. According to NASA's own independently verified numbers, SpaceX's total development cost for the Falcon 9 rocket, including the Falcon 1 rocket, was estimated at $390 million. In 2011, NASA estimated that it would have cost the agency about $4 billion to develop a rocket like the Falcon 9 booster based upon NASA's traditional contracting processes, about ten times more.[237] In May 2020, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine remarked that thanks to NASA's investments into SpaceX, the United States has 70% of the commercial launch market, a major improvement since 2012 when there were no commercial launches from the country.[283]

As of 2024, SpaceX operates a Rideshare and Bandwagon (mid inclination) programs. This provides additional competition for small satellite launchers.[284]

Corporate affairs

[edit]
[edit]
Year Revenue
(billion USD) 		Valuation
(billion USD) 		Number of employees
2002 ca. 30[285]
2003
2004
2005 ca. 90 (Feb.)[286]
ca. 160 (Nov.)[287]
2006
2007 ca. 350 (Aug.)[288]
2008 ca. 600 (Dec.)[289]
2009 > 800 (Dec.)[290]
2010 > 1,000 (June)[291]
2011 ca. 1,300 (Jan.)[292]
2012 2.4 (June)[293] ca. 1,800 (May)[294]
2013 ca. 3,800 (Oct.)[295]
2014 10 (Aug.)[296]
2015 12 (Jan.)[297]
2016 15 (Nov.)[298] ca. 5,000 (Nov.)[299]
2017 21 (Nov.)[300] ca. 7,000 (Nov.)[301]
2018 27 (Apr.)[302]
2019 33 (May)[303] > 6,000 (July)[304]
2020 1.8[305] 36 (May)[306]
2021 2.3[305] 74 (Feb.)[307]
100 (Oct.)[307] 		> 9,500 (March)[308]
2022 4.6[309] 127 (Aug.)[310] ca. 12,000 (April)[311]
2023 ca. 9[312] 137 (Jan.)[313]
180 (Dec.)[314] 		> 13,000 (Sept.)[315]
2024 ca. 15[312]
(Forecast)

Board of directors

[edit]
SpaceX board of directors as of January 2021[316]
Joined board Name Titles
2002[317] Elon Musk Founder, chairman, CEO and CTO of SpaceX; CEO, Product Architect, and former chairman of Tesla; former chairman of SolarCity[317]
2002[318] Kimbal Musk Board member, Tesla[319]
2009[320] Gwynne Shotwell President and COO of SpaceX[321]
Luke Nosek Co-founder, PayPal[322]
Steve Jurvetson Co-founder, Future Ventures fund[323]
2010[324] Antonio Gracias CEO and Chairman of the Investment Committee at Valor Equity Partners[325]
2015[326] Donald Harrison President of global partnerships and corporate development, Google[327]

Leadership changes

[edit]

In November 2022, the company announced COO Gwynne Shotwell and vice president Mark Juncosa would oversee Starbase, its Texas launch facility, along with Omead Afshar, who at the time oversaw operations for Tesla in Texas. Shyamal Patel, who was senior director of operations at the site, would shift to its Cape Canaveral site. CNBC reported that these executive moves demonstrated "the sense of urgency within the company to get Starship flying."[328][329][330]

Workplace culture

[edit]

According to former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver, the company overall has a male-dominated employee culture, similar to that of the spaceflight industry in general.[331] In December 2021, claims of workplace sexual harassment from five former SpaceX employees, ranging from interns to full engineers, were published.[332] The former employees claimed to have experienced unwanted advances and uncomfortable interactions.[333] Additionally, the accounts included claims of a culture of sexual harassment existing at the company and one where complaints made to executives, managers, and human resources officers went largely unaddressed.[334]

In May 2022, a Business Insider article alleged that Musk engaged in sexual misconduct with a SpaceX flight attendant in a private jet in 2016 citing an anonymous friend of the flight attendant.[335] In response, some employees collaborated on an open letter condemning "Elon's harmful Twitter behavior".[336] It also asks the company to clearly define SpaceX's "no-asshole" and "zero tolerance" policies, which it says is unequally enforced from one employee to the next. The next day, Gwynne Shotwell announced that those employees who were involved with the letter had been terminated and claimed that unsponsored, unsolicited surveys were sent to employees during the work day and that some felt pressured to sign the letter.[337]

The company has also been described as having a work culture that pushes employees to work excessively and is described as fostering a burnout culture.[338] According to a memo by Blue Origin, a rival aerospace company with a history of lawsuits and anti-SpaceX political lobbying,[339][340][341] SpaceX expected very long work hours, work on weekends, and limited use of holidays.[338]

In June 2024, eight ex-employees, the same who had previously been fired for penning the open letter against Elon Musk, filed a lawsuit against Musk and SpaceX alleging sexual harassment and discrimination.[342][343]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Delaware Business Search (File # 3500808 – Space Exploration Technologies Corp)". Delaware Department of State: Division of Corporations. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Who is Elon Musk, and what made him big? | Business| Economy and finance news from a German perspective". Deutsche Welle. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Gwynne Shotwell: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Maidenberg, Micah; Driebusch, Corrie; Jin, Berber (17 August 2023). "A Rare Look Into the Finances of Elon Musk's Secretive SpaceX". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  5. ^ Maidenberg, Micah; Higgins, Tim (5 September 2023). "Elon Musk Borrowed $1 Billion From SpaceX in Same Month of Twitter Acquisition". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief" (PDF). United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023 – via courtlistener.com.
  7. ^ a b "Order on Review (FCC 23-105)" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. 12 December 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024. After the auction, SpaceX assigned its winning bids to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Starlink.
  8. ^ Clark, Stephen (28 June 2024). "Rocket Report: China flies reusable rocket hopper; Falcon Heavy dazzles". Ars Technica. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  9. ^ Berger, Eric (22 March 2021). "Europe is starting to freak out about the launch dominance of SpaceX". Ars Technica. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  10. ^ Berger, Eric (1 March 2019). "The marriage of SpaceX and NASA hasn't been easy—but it's been fruitful". Ars Technica. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  11. ^ Berger, Eric (15 September 2024). "So what are we to make of the highly ambitious, private Polaris spaceflight?". Ars Technica. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  12. ^ Foust, Jeff (16 April 2021). "NASA selects SpaceX to develop crewed lunar lander". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  13. ^ Kuhr, Jack; Islam, Mo; Islam, Jack Kuhr and Mo (31 January 2024). "Predicting SpaceX's 2024 Revenue". Payload. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  14. ^ Zubrin, Robert (14 May 2019). The Case for Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-63388-534-9. OCLC 1053572666.
  15. ^ Mars Society (23 August 2001). "The Mars Society Inc. Fourth International Convention" (PDF). Mars Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  16. ^ Musk, Elon (30 May 2009). "Risky Business". IEEE Spectrum. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  17. ^ Cowing, Keith (30 August 2001). "Millionaires and billionaires: the secret to sending humans to Mars?". SPACEREF. Retrieved 1 March 2022.[dead link]
  18. ^ a b c d e Chaikin, Andrew (January 2012). "Is SpaceX Changing the Rocket Equation?". Air & Space Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  19. ^ a b c d Vance, Ashlee (14 May 2015). "Elon Musk's space dream almost killed Tesla". Bloomberg L. P. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i Berger, Eric (2021). Liftoff. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 978-0-06-297997-1.
  21. ^ Belfiore, Michael (1 September 2009). "Behind the Scenes With the World's Most Ambitious Rocket Makers". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  22. ^ Podcast: SpaceX COO On Prospects For Starship Launcher Archived 10 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Aviation Week, Irene Klotz, 27 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Space Exploration Technologies Corporation". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  24. ^ Maney, Kevin (17 June 2005). "Private sector enticing public into final frontier". USA Today. Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  25. ^ a b Hoffman, Carl (22 May 2007). "Elon Musk Is Betting His Fortune on a Mission Beyond Earth's Orbit". Wired. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  26. ^ "Commercial Market Assessment for Crew and Cargo Systems" (PDF). nasa.gov. NASA. 27 April 2011. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2015. SpaceX has publicly indicated that the development cost for Falcon 9 launch vehicle was approximately $300 million. Additionally, approximately $90 million was spent developing the Falcon 1 launch vehicle which did contribute to some extent to the Falcon 9, for a total of $390 million. NASA has verified these costs.
  27. ^ Ray, Justin (20 January 2005). "Cape launch site could host new commercial rocket fleet". spaceflightnow.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  28. ^ Berger, Brian (3 October 2005). "Kistler Teeters on the Brink After Main Investor Withdraws Support". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  29. ^ Belfiore, Michael (18 January 2005). "Race for Next Space Prize Ignites". Wired. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  30. ^ Berger, Eric (11 August 2021). "This is probably why Blue Origin keeps protesting NASA's lunar lander award". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Falcon 1 Reaches Space But Loses Control and is Destroyed on Re-Entry". Satnews.com. 21 March 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  32. ^ Graham Warwick and Guy Norris, "Blue Sky Thinking: DARPA at 50," Aviation Week & Space Technology, 18–25 Aug 2008, p. 18.
  33. ^ Levin, Steve (12 January 2022). "Elon Musk, man behind Tesla, Paypal, speaks to packed crowd at CSUB". The Bakersfield Californian. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  34. ^ Graham, William (20 December 2017). "SpaceX at 50 – From taming Falcon 1 to achieving cadence in Falcon 9". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  35. ^ Bergin, Chris (15 January 2009). "Planetspace officially protest NASA's CRS selection". NSF. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  36. ^ David, Leonard (9 September 2005). "SpaceX tackles reusable heavy launch vehicle". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  37. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: David J. Frankel (26 April 2010). "Minutes of the NAC Commercial Space Committee" (PDF). NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  38. ^ a b "Private space capsule's maiden voyage ends with a splash". BBC News. 8 December 2010. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  39. ^ Chow, Denise (8 December 2010). "Q & A with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: Master of Private Space Dragons". Space.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  40. ^ Chow, Denise (18 April 2011). "Private Spaceship Builders Split Nearly $270 Million in NASA Funds". Space.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  41. ^ a b Koenigsmann, Hans (17 January 2018). "Statement of Dr. Hans Koeningsmann Vice President, Build and Flight Reliability Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2018.
  42. ^ Melby, Caleb (12 March 2012). "How Elon Musk Became A Billionaire Twice Over". Forbes. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  43. ^ "Elon Musk Anticipates Third IPO in Three Years With SpaceX". Bloomberg L. P. 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  44. ^ Watts, Jane (27 April 2012). "Elon Musk on Why SpaceX Has the Right Stuff to Win the Space Race". CNBC. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  45. ^ a b "Private SpaceX rocket blasts off for space station Cargo ship reaches orbit 9 minutes after launch". CBC News. The Canadian Press. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  46. ^ "Privately-held SpaceX Worth Nearly $2.4 Billion or $20/Share, Double Its Pre-Mission Secondary Market Value Following Historic Success at the International Space Station". privco.com. 7 June 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  47. ^ Bilton, Ricardo (10 June 2012). "SpaceX's worth skyrockets to $4.8 billion after successful mission". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  48. ^ "SpaceX overview on second market". SecondMarket. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012.
  49. ^ a b Fernholz, Tim. "The complete visual history of SpaceX's single-minded pursuit of rocket reusability". Quartz. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  50. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (12 January 2015). "Arianespace, SpaceX Battled to a Draw for 2014 Launch Contracts". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  51. ^ Svitak, Amy (11 February 2014). "Arianespace To ESA: We Need Help". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  52. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (14 April 2014). "Satellite Operators Press ESA for Reduction in Ariane Launch Costs". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  53. ^ Petersen, Melody (25 November 2014). "SpaceX may upset firm's monopoly in launching Air Force satellites". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  54. ^ "Air Force budget reveals how much SpaceX undercuts launch prices". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  55. ^ Berger, Brian (20 January 2015). "SpaceX Confirms Google Investment". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  56. ^ Kang, Cecilia; Davenport, Christian (9 June 2015). "SpaceX founder files with government to provide Internet service from space". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  57. ^ Masunaga, Samantha; Petersen, Melody (2 September 2016). "SpaceX rocket exploded in an instant. Figuring out why involves a mountain of data". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  58. ^ Musk, Elon (21 December 2015). "Background on tonight's launch". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  59. ^ Wright, Robert (9 April 2016). "SpaceX rocket lands on drone ship". CNBC. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  60. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (5 October 2016). "SpaceX's Shotwell on Falcon 9 inquiry, discounts for reused rockets and Silicon Valley's test-and-fail ethos". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  61. ^ Santana, Marco (6 September 2016). "SpaceX customer vows to rebuild satellite in explosion aftermath". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  62. ^ Grush, Loren (5 November 2016). "Elon Musk says SpaceX finally knows what caused the latest rocket failure". The Verge. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  63. ^ "Anomaly Updates". SpaceX. 1 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  64. ^ a b Davenport, Christian (30 March 2017). "Elon Musk's SpaceX makes history by launching a 'flight-proven' rocket". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  65. ^ "SpaceX successfully launches, lands a recycled rocket". NBC News. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  66. ^ "SpaceX Is Now One of the World's Most Valuable Privately Held Companies". The New York Times. 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  67. ^ "As the SpaceX steamroller surges, European rocket industry vows to resist". 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  68. ^ spacexcmsadmin (27 November 2012). "Company". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  69. ^ a b "Company | SpaceX". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  70. ^ Hughes, Tim (13 July 2017). "Statement of Tim Hughes Senior Vice President for Global Business and Government Affairs Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2017.
  71. ^ Agenda Item No. 9, City of Hawthorne City Council, Agenda Bill Archived 24 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine, 11 September 2018, Planning and Community Development Department, City of Hawthorne. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  72. ^ Nelson, Laura J. (21 November 2017). "Elon Musk's tunneling company wants to dig through L.A." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  73. ^ "Nothing "Boring" About Elon Musk's Newly Revealed Underground Tunnel". cbslocal.com. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  74. ^ a b Copeland, Rob (17 December 2018). "Elon Musk's New Boring Co. Faced Questions Over SpaceX Financial Ties". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018. When the Boring Co. was earlier this year spun into its own firm, more than 90% of the equity went to Mr. Musk and the rest to early employees... The Boring Co. has since given some equity to SpaceX as compensation for the help... about 6% of Boring stock, "based on the value of land, time and other resources contributed since the creation of the company".
  75. ^ Sheetz, Michael (21 February 2020). "SpaceX is looking to raise about $250 million, valuing Elon Musk's space company at $36 billion". CNBC. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  76. ^ "SpaceX valuation rises to $33.3 billion as investors look to satellite opportunity". CNBC. 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  77. ^ Cao, Sissi (10 March 2020). "As SpaceX Reaches $36 Billion Valuation, Elon Musk Clarifies Starlink IPO Rumors". Observer. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  78. ^ "Elon Musk's SpaceX raises $1.9 billion in funding". Reuters. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  79. ^ Wattles, Jackie. "SpaceX is now a $46 billion 'unicorn'". CNN Business. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  80. ^ a b Sheetz, Michael (16 February 2021). "Elon Musk's SpaceX raised $850 million, jumping valuation to about $74 billion". CNBC. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  81. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (15 April 2021). "SpaceX adds to latest funding round". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  82. ^ Sheetz, Michael (8 October 2021). "Elon Musk's SpaceX hits $100 billion valuation after secondary share sale". CNBC. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  83. ^ Foust, Jeff (16 April 2021). "NASA selects SpaceX to develop crewed lunar lander". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  84. ^ Novet, Jordan (13 May 2021). "Google wins cloud deal from Elon Musk's SpaceX for Starlink internet connectivity". CNBC. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  85. ^ "SpaceX raises another $250 million in equity, lifts total to $2 billion in 2022". CNBC. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  86. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (12 July 2021). "Elon Musk unveils SpaceX's newest drone ship for rocket landings at sea". Space. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  87. ^ Whittington, Mark R. (9 January 2022). "SpaceX's Elon Musk is going into the carbon capture business". The Hill. Nexstar Media Group. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  88. ^ Chiland, Elijah (24 January 2022). "SpaceX Has Big Projects in the Works for 2022". Los Angeles Business Journal. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  89. ^ Clifford, Catherine (8 February 2021). "The who, what and where of Elon Musk's $100 million prize money for carbon capture innovation". CNBC. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  90. ^ Chappell, Bill (8 February 2021). "Elon Musk Funds $100 Million XPrize For Pursuit Of New Carbon Removal Ideas". NPR. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  91. ^ "Europe eyes Musk's SpaceX to replace Russian rockets". CNBC. Reuters. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  92. ^ Sheetz, Amanda; Macias, Michael (1 June 2023). "Pentagon awards SpaceX with Ukraine contract for Starlink satellite internet". CNBC. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  93. ^ a b Wall, Mike (4 January 2023). "61 rocket launches! SpaceX celebrates record-breaking 2022". Space.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  94. ^ @SpaceX (30 December 2022). "Falcon 9 launched the @ImageSatIntl EROS C-3 mission to orbit overnight, completing SpaceX's 61st and final launch of 2022 – nearly double our record of 31 launches set last year" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  95. ^ Carter, Tom. "Elon Musk's SpaceX is buying a company that makes parachutes for spacecraft for $2.2 million". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  96. ^ Peterson, Becky (28 November 2023). "SpaceX Acquires Parachute Maker Pioneer Aerospace for $2.2 Million". The Information. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  97. ^ Musk, Elon (16 July 2024). "Elon Musk on X: "This is the final straw. Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas."". X (Twitter). Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  98. ^ Wagner, Kurt; Grush, Loren (16 July 2024). "Musk to Move X, SpaceX to Texas in Deepening Rightward Shift". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  99. ^ https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/api/report/GetImageByNum/121076144140115220177004255237071119031243095007 [bare URL]
  100. ^ Chang, Kenneth (11 September 2024). "First Private Spacewalk in SpaceX Capsule Achieves New Milestone". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  101. ^ Wattles, Jackie (11 January 2019). "SpaceX to lay off 10% of its workers". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019.
  102. ^ Steve, Ganyard; Kekatos, Steve (20 April 2023). "Why SpaceX's Starship rocket matters even after self-destruction". ABC News. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  103. ^ a b Mike Wall. SpaceX to push the envelope on 3rd Starship test flight Archived 7 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine Space.com. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  104. ^ a b Starship Service to Earth Orbit, Moon, Mars, and Beyond Archived 22 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine Spacex.com. 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  105. ^ Olson, Emily; Archie, Ayana (20 April 2023). "SpaceX's massive rocket Starship explodes 4 minutes after liftoff". NPR. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  106. ^ Berger, Eric (20 April 2023). "So what was that? Was Starship's launch a failure or a success?". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  107. ^ Wattles, Jackie; Danya, Gainor (29 April 2023). "Starship could be ready to launch again in 'six to eight weeks,' Elon Musk says". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  108. ^ Wattles, Jackie; Fisher, Kristin (19 October 2023). "SpaceX slams regulatory 'headwinds' for holding up Starship, risking US dominance in space". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  109. ^ "SpaceX Starship Launch Ends in Explosion". The New York Times. 18 November 2023. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  110. ^ "SpaceX poised to launch 22 Starlink satellites early Nov. 19". Space.com. 18 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  111. ^ "SpaceX launches giant new rocket but a pair of explosions ends the second test flight". The Hindu. 18 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  112. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (19 November 2023). "Rows and rockets blow up as Elon Musk's firms endure turbulent weekend". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  113. ^ Wall, Mike (13 March 2024). "FAA grants license for SpaceX's March 14 Starship launch". Space.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  114. ^ Tariq Malik (4 June 2024). "SpaceX lands FAA license for next Starship megarocket launch on June 6". Space.com. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  115. ^ Wattles, Jackie (12 October 2024). "SpaceX gets regulatory approval for fifth test flight of Starship rocket". CNN. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  116. ^ a b Chang, Kenneth (30 May 2020). "SpaceX Lifts NASA Astronauts to Orbit, Launching New Era of Spaceflight – The trip to the space station was the first from American soil since 2011 when the space shuttles were retired". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  117. ^ Wattles, Jackie (30 May 2020). "SpaceX Falcon 9 launches two NASA astronauts into the space CNN". CNN. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  118. ^ "SpaceX-NASA Dragon Demo-2 launch: All your questions answered". The Indian Express. 2 June 2020. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  119. ^ Patel, Neel. "SpaceX now operates the world's biggest commercial satellite network". MIT Technology Review. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  120. ^ McDowell, Jonathan (19 May 2024). "Starlink Launch Statistics". Jonathan's Space Pages. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  121. ^ Foust, Jeff (9 August 2021). "SpaceX to acquire Swarm Technologies". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  122. ^ Shepardson, David (1 December 2022). "SpaceX gets U.S. approval to deploy up to 7,500 satellites". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  123. ^ a b "NASA – SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 1 to Orbit". nasa.gov. 28 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  124. ^ Chang, Kenneth (25 May 2012). "Space X Capsule Docks at Space Station". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  125. ^ "SpaceX, In Another First, Recovers $6 Million Nose Cone From Reused Falcon 9". Fortune. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  126. ^ spacexcmsadmin (29 January 2016). "Zuma mission". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  127. ^ Burghardt, Thomas (25 July 2019). "Starhopper successfully conducts debut Boca Chica Hop". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  128. ^ Clark, Stephen. "SpaceX to reuse payload fairing for first time on Nov. 11 launch – Spaceflight Now". Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  129. ^ "SpaceX Launches". The New York Times. 30 May 2020. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  130. ^ "SpaceX's 1st Crew Dragon with astronauts docks at space station in historic rendezvous". Space.com. 31 May 2020. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  131. ^ Hennessy, Paul (25 January 2021). "SpaceX launches record number of spacecraft in cosmic rideshare program". NBC News. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  132. ^ "SpaceX launches its third astronaut crew, the first on a used Crew Dragon capsule". The Verge. 23 April 2021. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  133. ^ Dent, Steve (15 June 2021). "SpaceX cleared to launch reused rockets for 'national security' missions". Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  134. ^ "SpaceX makes history with first all-civilian spaceflight". NBC. 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  135. ^ Gorman, Steve (19 September 2021). "SpaceX capsule with world's first all-civilian orbital crew returns safely". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  136. ^ "Most consecutive successful orbital launches by a rocket model". Guinness World Records. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  137. ^ "First all-civilian crew launches on mission to International Space Station". NBC News. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  138. ^ "Soyuz-U: Holding Multiple World Records!". The Space Techie. 4 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  139. ^ Amos, Jonathan (20 April 2023). "SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk's big rocket explodes on test flight". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  140. ^ Amos, Jonathan (6 August 2021). "Biggest ever rocket is assembled briefly in Texas". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  141. ^ Sullivan, Will. "Starship Reaches Orbit in Third Test Flight, a Success for SpaceX and the Future of Lunar Travel". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  142. ^ "SpaceX all set for a record-breaking rocket launch on Friday". Digital Trends. 11 April 2024. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  143. ^ "Falcon 9 Overview". SpaceX. 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  144. ^ "Falcon 9 & Falcon Heavy". Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021. The v1.2 design was constantly improved upon over time, leading to different sub-versions or "Blocks". The initial design, flying on the maiden flight was thus referred to as Block 1. The final design which has largely stayed static since 2018 is the Block 5 variant.
  145. ^ "Falcon Heavy Overview". Space.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  146. ^ Lindsey, Clark (4 January 2013). "NewSpace flights in 2013". NewSpace Watch. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  147. ^ spacexcmsadmin (15 November 2012). "Falcon Heavy". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  148. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center Certifies SpaceX for National Security Space Missions". USAF. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  149. ^ Erwin, Sandra (21 September 2019). "Air Force certified Falcon Heavy for national security launch but more work needed to meet required orbits". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  150. ^ "SpaceX Missions Summary". Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  151. ^ "Total Mission Counter". Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  152. ^ Gebhardt, Chris (29 September 2017). "The Moon, Mars, and around the Earth – Musk updates BFR architecture, plans". Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  153. ^ "Elon Musk says moon mission is "dangerous" but SpaceX's first passenger isn't scared". CBS News. 18 September 2018. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  154. ^ a b O'Callaghan, Jonathan (31 July 2019). "The wild physics of Elon Musk's methane-guzzling super-rocket". Wired UK. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  155. ^ a b "Falcon 1 Flight Three Press Kit" (PDF). SpaceX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  156. ^ a b "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Payload User's Guide, 2009" (PDF). SpaceX. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  157. ^ Bergin, Chris (30 May 2014). "SpaceX lifts the lid on the Dragon V2 crew spacecraft". NASAspaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  158. ^ "Falcon 9 User's Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  159. ^ "Encyclopedia Astronautica Kestrel". Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  160. ^ Berger, Eric (7 March 2019). "SpaceX's Dragon capsule has survived its greatest test – returning to Earth". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  161. ^ "SpaceX performs first test of Raptor engine". SpaceNews. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  162. ^ "Big News! SpaceX's Starhopper Test Vehicle Completes First Free Flight!". 26 July 2019. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  163. ^ Thompson, Amy (5 December 2020). "Tissue chips and organoids: SpaceX is launching lots of science to space for NASA on Sunday". Space.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  164. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Potter, Sean (27 March 2020). "NASA Awards Artemis Contract for Gateway Logistics Services". NASA. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  165. ^ "Dragon XL revealed as NASA ties SpaceX to Lunar Gateway supply contract". NASA Spaceflight. 27 March 2020. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  166. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (10 June 2020). "New SpaceX spacesuits get five-star rating from NASA astronauts". Space.com. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  167. ^ "Updates". SpaceX. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  168. ^ Simberg, Rand (8 February 2012). "Elon Musk on SpaceX's Reusable Rocket Plans". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  169. ^ SpaceX (4 February 2015), Elon Musk Names SpaceX Drone Ships in Honor of Sci-Fi Legend, archived from the original on 2 June 2020, retrieved 31 May 2020
  170. ^ SpaceX (9 September 2022). "Starlink Services LLC RDOF AFR – For Public Inspection". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2024. Starlink Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
  171. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (19 January 2015). "SpaceX To Build 4,425 Broadband Satellites in Seattle". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  172. ^ "Falcon 9 launches first Starlink mission – heaviest payload launch by SpaceX to date". NASASpaceFlight.com. 23 May 2019. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  173. ^ Sheetz, Michael (27 October 2020). "SpaceX prices Starlink satellite internet service at $99 per month, according to e-mail". CNBC. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  174. ^ "SpaceX opens Starlink satellite Internet pre-orders to the public". Engadget. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  175. ^ O'Callaghan, Jonathan (27 October 2020). "SpaceX Reveals Monthly Cost Of Starlink Internet In Its 'Better Than Nothing Beta'". Forbes. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  176. ^ @SpaceX (19 December 2022). "Starlink now has more than 1,000,000 active subscribers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  177. ^ Hall, Shannon (June 2019). "After SpaceX Starlink Launch, a Fear of Satellites That Outnumber All Visible Stars". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  178. ^ "The unexpected brightness of new satellites could ruin the night sky". The Economist. 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  179. ^ "SpaceX's Starlink Could Change The Night Sky Forever, And Astronomers Are Not Happy". Forbes. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  180. ^ "Will Elon Musk's Starlink satellites harm astronomy? Here's what we know". National Geographic. 29 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  181. ^ SpaceX (28 April 2020). "Astronomy Discussion with National Academy of Sciences". Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  182. ^ O'Callaghan, Jonathan (13 May 2019). "SpaceX's Starlink Could Cause Cascades of Space Junk". Scientific American. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  183. ^ Does Starlink Pose a Space Debris Threat? An Expert Answers. Archived 17 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine Jan Hattenbach, Sky & Telescope, 3 June 2019.
  184. ^ "Starlink Block v1.0". space.skyrocket.de. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  185. ^ "Musk's SpaceX wins Pentagon award for missile tracking satellites". Reuters. 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  186. ^ "SpaceX – Starshield". spacex.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  187. ^ Sheetz, Michael (20 June 2024). "SpaceX unveils backpack-sized 'Starlink Mini' satellite internet antenna for $599". Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  188. ^ Boyle, Alan (15 June 2015). "Elon Musk's SpaceX Plans Hyperloop Pod Races at California HQ in 2016". NBC. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  189. ^ "Spacex Hyperloop Pod Competition" (PDF). SpaceX. June 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  190. ^ Bonasio, Alice (4 March 2018). "Is it time to take the Hyperloop seriously?". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  191. ^ Krouse, Sarah (21 February 2021). "Elon Musk got 4,000 SpaceX workers to join a COVID-19 study. Here's what he learned". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021 – via Fox Business.
  192. ^ Bartsch, Yannic C.; Fischinger, Stephanie; Siddiqui, Sameed M.; Chen, Zhilin; Yu, Jingyou; Gebre, Makda; Atyeo, Caroline; Gorman, Matthew J.; Zhu, Alex Lee; Kang, Jaewon; Burke, John S.; Slein, Matthew; Gluck, Matthew J.; Beger, Samuel; Hu, Yiyuan; Rhee, Justin; Petersen, Eric; Mormann, Benjamin; de St Aubin, Michael; Hasdianda, Mohammad A.; Jambaulikar, Guruprasad; Boyer, Edward W.; Sabeti, Pardis C.; Barouch, Dan H.; Julg, Boris D.; Musk, Elon R.; Menon, Anil S.; Lauffenburger, Douglas A.; Nilles, Eric J.; Alter, Galit (15 February 2021). "Discrete SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers track with functional humoral stability". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 1018. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.1018B. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21336-8. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7884400. PMID 33589636.
  193. ^ a b Lee, Timothy B. (10 July 2018). "Thai official: Elon Musk's submarine "not practical for this mission" [Updated]". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  194. ^ Wong, Julia Carrie (5 December 2019). "Elon Musk trial: Vernon Unsworth says entrepreneur's tweets 'humiliated' him". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  195. ^ Musk, Elon [@elonmusk] (10 July 2018). "The former Thai provincial governor (described inaccurately as "rescue chief") is not the subject matter expert. [...]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018 – via Twitter.
  196. ^ Ferris, Robert (10 July 2018). "Elon Musk says his 'mini-submarine' can be used for other things". CNBC. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  197. ^ "Tested for Thailand, SpaceX's makeshift mini-sub could serve as space escape pod". GeekWire.com. 8 July 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  198. ^ Hull, Dana; Chapa, Sergio. "Elon's Texas Empire". bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  199. ^ Hennigan, W.J. (31 January 2011). "SpaceX to open a new office in the Washington, D.C., area". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  200. ^ a b Belfiore, Michael (20 January 2012). "Inside SpaceX: We Visit the Company's California Headquarters – Slide 3". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  201. ^ a b Berger, Eric (26 July 2019). "SpaceX's Starship prototype has taken flight for the first time". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  202. ^ Clark, Stephen (17 July 2024). "Elon Musk says SpaceX and X will relocate their headquarters to Texas". Ars Technica. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  203. ^ "Gov. Perry Announces State Incentives Bringing SpaceX Commercial Launch Facility, 300 Jobs to the Brownsville Area". Office of the Governor Rick Perry. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  204. ^ Berger, Eric (4 August 2014). "Texas, SpaceX announce spaceport deal near Brownsville". MySanAntonio.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  205. ^ David, Leonard (15 July 2014). "SpaceX receives FAA approval for proposed spaceport in Texas". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  206. ^ Foust, Jeff (22 September 2014). "SpaceX Breaks Ground on Texas Spaceport". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  207. ^ Lingle, Brandon (16 August 2024). "SpaceX's South Texas rocket operation facing international scrutiny". San Antonio Express-News.
  208. ^ Sheetz, Michael (14 July 2021). "FAA warns SpaceX that massive Starship launch tower in Texas is unapproved". CNBC. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  209. ^ Koren, Marina (11 February 2020). "Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  210. ^ Kolodny, Lora (12 August 2024). "SpaceX repeatedly polluted waters in Texas this year, regulators found". CNBC. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  211. ^ Lingle, Brandon (12 September 2024). "SpaceX fined nearly $150,000 by the EPA for wastewater violations". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  212. ^ a b c Paur, Jason (10 October 2012). "Inside SpaceX's Texas Rocket-Testing Facility". Wired. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  213. ^ Bergin, Chris (20 June 2013). "Reducing risk via ground testing is a recipe for SpaceX success". NASAspaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  214. ^ a b c Sanchez, Sandra (22 December 2011). "SpaceX: Blasting into the future — A Waco Today interview with Elon Musk". Waco Tribune. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  215. ^ a b Gwynne Shotwell (17 March 2015). "Statement Of Gwynne Shotwell, President & Chief Operating Officer, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)" (PDF). Congressional testimony. US House of Representatives, Committee On Armed Services Subcommittee On Strategic Forces. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016. SpaceX's 4,000 acre Rocket Development Facility in Central Texas includes 12 test stands that support engine component testing; design, qualification and acceptance testing of Merlin engines; structural testing of the first and second stages; and fully integrated stage testing for full mission durations. The state-of-the-art facility has remote and/or automatic controls and high-speed data acquisition systems, and post test data are available for analysis upon test completion.
  216. ^ Shotwell, Gwynne (24 September 2024). Testimony to the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations (video). Event occurs at 28:23.
  217. ^ U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (November 2011) "Final Environmental Assessment for Issuing an Experimental Permit to SpaceX for Operation of the Grasshopper Vehicle at the McGregor Test Site, Texas" Archived 2017-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, p. 1.
  218. ^ Elon Musk says SpaceX’s next Texas venture will be a rocket engine factory near Waco, https://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/2021/07/10/elon-musk-says-spacexs-next-texas-venture-will-be-a-rocket-engine-factory-near-waco/, Dallas Morning News 10 July 2021, access-date11 July 2021.
  219. ^ @elonmusk (10 July 2021). "We are breaking ground soon on a second Raptor factory at SpaceX Texas test site. This will focus on volume production of Raptor 2, while California factory will make Raptor Vacuum & new, experimental designs" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  220. ^ Bishop, Todd (13 January 2015). "SpaceX's new Seattle-area office is in Redmond; Elon Musk to visit region this week". GeekWire. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  221. ^ "SpaceX adds a big new lab to its satellite development operation in Seattle area". GeekWire. 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  222. ^ "SpaceX expands its satellite operation in Redmond". The Seattle Times. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  223. ^ Kan, Michael (27 September 2024). "Starlink Predicts Huge Growth for Printed Circuit Board Production in Texas". PCMAG. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  224. ^ Klotz, Irene (2 August 2013). "SpaceX Appetite for U.S. Launch Sites Grows". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  225. ^ SpaceX (2021). Falcon User's Guide (PDF). SpaceX. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  226. ^ "SpaceX launches first polar orbit mission from Florida in decades". 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  227. ^ Spudis, Paul D. "The Tale of Falcon 1". Air & Space Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  228. ^ Wolf, Jim (26 April 2007). "U.S. lets SpaceX operate at Cape Canaveral". Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  229. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (21 May 2020). "See the Evolution of SpaceX's Rockets in Pictures". Space.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  230. ^ Bergin, Chris (5 April 2011). "SpaceX: Falcon Heavy, Falcon 9 tag team set to share 20 launches a year". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  231. ^ "SpaceX Falcon 9 launches with SAOCOM 1A and nails first West Coast landing". NASASpaceFlight.com. 7 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  232. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Granath, Bob (24 March 2015). "NASA, SpaceX Sign Property Agreement for Historic Launch Pad". NASA. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  233. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "NASA, Partners Update Commercial Crew Launch Dates – Commercial Crew Program". blogs.nasa.gov. 6 February 2019. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  234. ^ Ralph, Eric (16 February 2022). "SpaceX preparing to assemble launch tower for Starship's first Florida pad". Teslarati. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  235. ^ Dennis Stone, "NASA's Approach to Commercial cargo and Crew Transportation", Acta Astronautica 63, No. 1-4 (2008): 192–197.
  236. ^ Berger, Eric (20 May 2020). "The numbers don't lie – NASA's move to commercial space has saved money". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  237. ^ a b Zapata, Edgar (12 September 2017). "An Assessment of Cost Improvements in the NASA COTS/CRS Program and Implications for Future NASA Missions" (PDF). AIAA Space 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2019 – via NASA.
  238. ^ Siceloff, Steven. "NASA – SpaceX Launches Success with Falcon 9/Dragon Flight". nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  239. ^ Chang, Kenneth (22 May 2012). "Big Day for a Space Entrepreneur Promising More". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  240. ^ a b Rhian, Jason (27 September 2014). "NASA continues Commercial 'push' with CRS extension". Spaceflight Insider. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  241. ^ "NASA Celebrates Dragon's Return". NASA. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  242. ^ Bergin, Chris (3 March 2015). "NASA lines up four additional CRS missions for Dragon and Cygnus". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  243. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (24 February 2016). "SpaceX wins 5 new space station cargo missions in NASA contract estimated at $700 million". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  244. ^ "SMSR Integrated Master Schedule" (PDF). Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. NASA. 28 April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  245. ^ "Microgravity Research Flights". Glenn Research Center. NASA. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  246. ^ Sheetz, Michael (27 March 2020). "SpaceX's most powerful rocket will send NASA cargo to the moon's orbit to supply astronauts". CNBC. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  247. ^ "Private Space Taxi's Crew Escape System Passes Big Hurdle". Space.com. 28 October 2011. Archived from the original on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  248. ^ Morring, Frank Jr. (25 April 2011). "Five Vehicles Vie For Future Of U.S. Human Spaceflight". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  249. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "NASA Announces Next Steps in Effort to Launch Americans from U.S. Soil". NASA. 3 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  250. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "NASA Chooses American Companies to Transport U.S. Astronauts to International Space Station". NASA. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  251. ^ Post, Hannah (6 May 2015). "Crew Dragon Completes Pad Abort Test". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  252. ^ Smith, K. (4 March 2019). "Crew Dragon Docks at the ISS". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  253. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Northon, Karen (19 January 2020). "NASA, SpaceX Complete Final Major Flight Test of Crew Spacecraft". NASA. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  254. ^ "Demo-2 Success Lays Groundwork for Future Commercial Crew Missions". AmericaSpace. 3 August 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  255. ^ Wattles, Jackie. "SpaceX-NASA mission: Four astronauts arrive at International Space Station". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  256. ^ "Dragon Resilience Docks at Space Station, Expands Expedition 64 to Seven Crew". AmericaSpace. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  257. ^ Sheetz, Michael (23 April 2021). "SpaceX Crew-2 reaches orbit, with Elon Musk's company launching 10 astronauts in under a year". CNBC. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  258. ^ Sheetz, Michael (24 April 2021). "Two SpaceX crew spacecraft are now docked to the space station, as the Crew-2 mission arrives". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  259. ^ Stein, Vicky (23 September 2021). "Inspiration4: The first all-civilian spaceflight on SpaceX Dragon". space.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  260. ^ "SpaceX Awarded $100 Million Contract From U.S. Air Force for Falcon I" (Press release). SpaceX. 2 May 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  261. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract to SpaceX" (Press release). NASA. 22 April 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  262. ^ Grush, Loren (24 June 2019). "Why the third launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket has the highest stakes yet". The Verge. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  263. ^ Shalal, Andrea (26 May 2015). "U.S. Air Force certifies SpaceX for national security launches". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  264. ^ Gruss, Mike (27 April 2016). "SpaceX wins $82 million contract for 2018 Falcon 9 launch of GPS 3 satellite". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  265. ^ Klotz, Irene (28 April 2016). "SpaceX undercut ULA rocket launch pricing by 40 percent: U.S. Air Force". Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  266. ^ "SpaceX's low cost won GPS 3 launch, Air Force says". SpaceNews. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  267. ^ Kelly, Emre (15 March 2018). "ULA, SpaceX secure nearly $650 million in Air Force launch contracts". Florida Today. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  268. ^ "SpaceX prepares for its first big NRO launch". SpaceNews. 26 April 2017. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  269. ^ Erwin, Sandra (19 February 2019). "Air Force awards $739 million in launch contracts to ULA and SpaceX". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  270. ^ Wattles, Jackie (7 August 2020). "SpaceX and ULA win military launch competition worth $653 million – and that's just the start". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  271. ^ Erwin, Sandra (5 October 2020). "L3Harris, SpaceX win Space Development Agency contracts to build missile-warning satellites". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  272. ^ "2019 Missile Defense Review" (PDF). Office of the Secretary of Defense. 1 November 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  273. ^ "Statement by Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation on Outer Space Disarmament Aspects". Russian Federation to the United Nations. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  274. ^ "Approaching the Third Rail? A Trilateral Treaty to Prohibit Space-Based Missile Defenses". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  275. ^ "Space-based Missile Defense". Union of Concerned Scientists. 30 August 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  276. ^ Roulette, Joey; Marisa, Taylor (16 March 2024). "Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX is building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency, sources say". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  277. ^ Amos, Jonathan (3 December 2013). "SpaceX launches SES commercial TV satellite for Asia". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  278. ^ Belfiore, Michael (9 December 2013). "The Rocketeer". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  279. ^ Ramli, David (19 May 2015). "NBN launcher Arianespace to cut jobs and costs to fight SpaceX". The Sydney Morning Herald Business Day. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  280. ^ Shalal, Andrea (21 May 2015). "Lockheed-Boeing rocket venture needs commercial orders to survive". Yahoo. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  281. ^ Avery, Greg (14 December 2014). "ULA plans new rocket, restructuring to cut launch costs in half". Denver Business Journal. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  282. ^ Petersen, Melody (16 October 2014). "Congress OKs bill banning purchases of Russian-made rocket engines". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  283. ^ Berger, Eric (3 June 2020). "Forget Dragon, the Falcon 9 rocket is the secret sauce of SpaceX's success". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  284. ^ Lentz, Danny (7 April 2024). "SpaceX debuts new Bandwagon rideshare service". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  285. ^ Musk Moves Closer to Mars Voyage. Trinitiy Business Review, 6 March 2019.
  286. ^ Hondas in Space. Fast Company, February 2005.
  287. ^ Jeff Foust: Big plans for SpaceX. The Space Review, 17. November 2005.
  288. ^ Elon Musk: Updates, vom 17 August 2007.
  289. ^ NASA Takes a Leap in Outsourcing. The Wall Street Journal, 24 December 2008.
  290. ^ Elon Musk: SpaceX – Year in Review. Sat Magazine, December 2009.
  291. ^ SpaceX Achieves Orbital Bullseye With Inaugural Flight of Falcon 9 Rocket. SpaceRef, 7 June 2010.
  292. ^ SpaceX Continues Rapid Growth with New Office in Chantilly, Virginia. SpaceRef, 31 January 2011.
  293. ^ Doug Messier: Ka-ching! SpaceX’s Valuation Soars After Successful Dragon Flight Archived 15 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Parabolic Arc, 7 June 2012.
  294. ^ SpaceX again ready to blast off after last-second launch abort. Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2012.
  295. ^ Doug Messier: ISPCS Morning Session: Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX Archived 15 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Parabolic Arc, 16 October 2013.
  296. ^ SpaceX Is Now Worth More Than Dropbox, Snapchat, Or Airbnb. The Verge, 19 August 2014.
  297. ^ SpaceX Is Now Worth More Than Dropbox, Snapchat, Or Airbnb. Business Insider, January 2015.
  298. ^ Elon Musk’s stake in SpaceX is actually worth more than his Tesla shares. Elektrek, 16 November 2016.
  299. ^ SpaceX’s Redmond effort ‘very speculative’ . The Seattle Times, 7. November 2016.
  300. ^ SpaceX raises another 100 mln USD. Xinhua, 18. November 2017.
  301. ^ Jeff Foust. Twitter-messaget, November 2017.
  302. ^ Jeff Foust: Space ventures raise nearly $1 billion in first quarter of 2018, led by SpaceX. Spacenews, 12. April 2018.
  303. ^ Michael Sheetz: SpaceX valuation rises to $33.3 billion as investors look to satellite opportunity. CNBC, 31 May 2019.
  304. ^ Company SpaceX-Website, archived in July 2019.
  305. ^ a b SpaceX on sacra.com.
  306. ^ Michael Sheetz: SpaceX raises $346 million in most recent funding round. CNBC, 26 May 2020.
  307. ^ a b Michael Sheetz: Elon Musk’s SpaceX hits $100 billion valuation after secondary share sale. CNBC, 8 October 2021.
  308. ^ Michael Sheetz: SpaceX denounces Justice Department’s subpoena in hiring practices investigation as ‘government overreach’. CNBC, March 2021.
  309. ^ Salinas, Sara (17 August 2023). "SpaceX reportedly turned a profit in the first quarter". CNBC. NBCUniversal. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  310. ^ Michael Sheetz: SpaceX raises another $250 million in equity, lifts total to $2 billion in 2022. CNBC, 5 August 2022.
  311. ^ Elon Musk: A future worth getting excited about | TED | Tesla Texas Gigafactory interview (Youtube-Video)
  312. ^ a b SpaceX eyes $15 bln in sales next year on Starlink strength - Bloomberg News. Reuters, 6 November 2023.
  313. ^ Lora Kolodny: SpaceX raising $750 million at a $137 billion valuation, investors include Andreessen-Horowitz. CNBC, 2 January 2023.
  314. ^ LaRocco, Lori Ann; Sheetz, Michael (13 December 2023). "SpaceX valuation climbs to $180 billion". CNBC. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  315. ^ "Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief" (PDF). United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Retrieved 20 September 2023 – via courtlistener.com.
  316. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "SEC Form D: Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities". sec.gov. 4 August 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  317. ^ a b "Elon Musk". tesla.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  318. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "SEC Form D: Notice of sale of securities". United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 19 August 2002. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  319. ^ "Kimbal Musk". tesla.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  320. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "SEC Form D: Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities". sec.gov. 30 March 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  321. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Tzinis, Irene (12 June 2020). "Ms. Gwynne Shotwell". NASA. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  322. ^ "Luke Nosek, Gigafund: Profile and Biography". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg Markets. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  323. ^ Schubarth, Cromwell (15 February 2019). "The Funded: Steve Jurvetson raises $200M for new venture fund". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  324. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "SEC Form D: Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities". sec.gov. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  325. ^ "Antonio Gracias | Board of Directors". tesla.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  326. ^ Hardy, Quentin; Dougherty, Conor (20 January 2015). "Google and Fidelity Put $1 Billion into SpaceX (Published 2015)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  327. ^ Hagey, Keach (16 September 2020). "Google Executive Gets Grilling on Capitol Hill". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  328. ^ Sheetz, Michael (11 November 2022). "SpaceX shakes up Starship leadership in Texas as push for the rocket's next milestone intensifies". CNBC. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  329. ^ "SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell Takes Over Starbase Mars Mission". The Information. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  330. ^ "Tesla Official Afshar Turns Up at SpaceX in New Starship Role". Bloomberg.com. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  331. ^ Garver, Lori B. (2022). Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age. Foreword by Walter Isaacson. New York: Diversion Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-1-63576-770-4. OCLC 1328013856. As president and COO of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell is an effective and revered female leader in the space community [...] both companies have reputed "bro" cultures. Numerous charges of sexual harassment and discrimination have recently been made public by employees in both companies. [...] Progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion has been much too slow.
  332. ^ "Former SpaceX workers say company has a culture of sexual harassment". Engadget. 14 December 2021. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  333. ^ Roulette, Joey (14 December 2021). "Former Interns Say SpaceX Ignored Sexual Harassment". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  334. ^ Grush, Loren (14 December 2021). "Five former SpaceX employees speak out about harassment at the company". The Verge. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  335. ^ McHugh, Rich (19 May 2022). "A SpaceX flight attendant said Elon Musk exposed himself and propositioned her for sex, documents show. The company paid $250,000 for her silence". Insider. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  336. ^ Grush, Loren (16 June 2022). "SpaceX employees draft open letter to company executives denouncing Elon Musk's behavior". The Verge. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  337. ^ Jacob, Nutson (17 June 2022). "Reports: SpaceX fires employees who criticized Elon Musk in open letter". Axios. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  338. ^ a b Grush, Loren (4 October 2021). "Blue Origin's ideas to mimic SpaceX sound pretty brutal for employees". The Verge. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  339. ^ "Blue Origin vs. SpaceX – Which is Winning the Space Race?". Alphr. 31 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  340. ^ "SpaceX vs. Blue Origin vs. Virgin Galactic: What's the difference?". WhatIs.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  341. ^ Shepardson, David (16 August 2021). "Blue Origin sues U.S. government over SpaceX lunar lander contract". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  342. ^ "Former Workers Accuse SpaceX And Elon Musk Of Sex Harassment, Retaliation In Lawsuit". 13 June 2024.
  343. ^ "Elon Musk sued by SpaceX engineers claiming they were illegally fired". The Guardian. 12 June 2024.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Berger, Eric. Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX. William Collins (2021). ISBN 978-0008445621
  • Davenport, Christian. The Space Barons; Elon Musk. Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos. PublicAffairs (2018). ISBN 978-1610398299
  • Fernholz, Tim. Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2018). ISBN 978-1328662231
  • Vance, Ashlee. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping Our Future. Penguin Random House UK (2015). ISBN 978-0753555620
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to SpaceX.
Wikinews has news related to:
Wikiquote has quotations related to SpaceX.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SpaceX&oldid=1256444908"