ROCKET MAN
What is SpaceX and who owns it?
SPACEX has smashed countless astronomical records - from launching the first liquid-fuelled rocket into orbit to sending a car into space.
Let's take a look at SpaceX and the man behind the innovative space brand.
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What is SpaceX?
SpaceX is a private American aerospace manufacturer based in California.
It was founded in 2002 with the goal to build affordable rockets and enable the colonisation of Mars.
The manufacturer also aimed to reduce space transportation costs.
Since its creation, the firm has gained fame primarily as a pioneering rocket firm.
In 2008 it launched the first privately-funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit and later became the first private company to launch an object into orbit around the sun.
The company has grown dramatically over its lifespan, from 160 employees in November 2005 to around 12,000 as of 2022.
As of March 2022, SpaceX had 151 launches on its manifest representing about $12billion (£9.24billion) in contract revenue.
Who owns it?
SpaceX was founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk who still has part ownership of the company, though he's decided to turn his attention to his other companies as of late.
read more on elon musk
At 30, Musk made his initial fortune by selling his two very successful companies, Zip2 and PayPal.
He decided that his next major venture as an entrepreneur would be a privately funded space company.
Musk initially had the idea of sending a greenhouse to Mars, named the Mars Oasis.
But after realising the cost was too high, Musk started a spaceflight company instead called Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX.
The South-African billionaire spent a third of his reported fortune at the time, $100million (£89million), to get SpaceX going.
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When was the last SpaceX launch?
SpaceX launched their last mission around 12.30am on March 2, 2023.
Falcon 9 launched the sixth operational human spaceflight mission from SpaceX to the International Space Station from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The rocket is expected to dock on the ISS by March 3.
The crew is set to conduct 200 plus science experiments and technology demonstrations, according to the.
What other missions and projects has SpaceX completed?
Since its creation in 2002, SpaceX has completed many successful missions.
The first liquid-fuelled rocket to reach orbit was launched in September 2008 and from then the company has completed a mission nearly every year.
In 2012, SpaceX became the first private company to send a spacecraft to the ISS.
In June 2017, the Dragon C106 was the first re-flight of a commercial cargo spacecraft.
SpaceX became the first private company to send an object into orbit - the object being a car from Elon Musk's other company Tesla.
In October 2018 SpaceX attempted yet another world first by landing a rocket back on Californian soil.
The first stage of the rocket returned safely to the airbase about eight minutes later, making it the first ground booster landing on the California coast.
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