SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launch service provider, and satellite communications company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars.
Engineering Milestones
SpaceX made history as the first private company to develop a liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit (Falcon 1), the first to land and reuse an orbital rocket booster (Falcon 9), and the first to send human astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a commercial spacecraft (Crew Dragon).
Starlink and Next-Generation Exploration
The company operates Starlink, the world’s largest commercial satellite constellation, delivering high-speed satellite internet globally. Concurrently, SpaceX is developing Starship, a fully reusable super heavy-lift launch system designed to carry human crews and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.