SpaceX
Founded by Elon Musk in a converted El Segundo warehouse; he spent a third of his reported fortune, $100 million, to get SpaceX going.
Founded2002
HeadquartersEl Segundo, CA
IndustryAerospace
Falcon Heavy side boosters landing at LZ-1 and LZ-2, February 2018 · CC0 — SpaceX · Wikimedia Commons
Overview
SpaceX revolutionized spaceflight by making rockets reusable.
Founders
Elon Musk
Incorporated March 14, 2002
Landmark Achievements
- Falcon 1 (September 28, 2008) became the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit.
- In May 2012, Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to visit the International Space Station.
- Achieved the first vertical landing of an orbital-class booster (2015) and first reflight of a used booster (2017); Crew Dragon Demo-2 (2020) restored U.S. human orbital spaceflight.
SpaceX's place in the story
Continue through the chronicle — the builders of American technology, in founding order.