SpaceX

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SpaceX

Q: What is SpaceX?

SpaceX is an American aerospace company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk that helped usher in the era of commercial spaceflight . Its name in full is Space Exploration Technologies Corporation.

Q: Where is SpaceX located?

SpaceX is headquartered in Hawthorne, California . Its other sites include launch facilities in Cape Canaveral , Florida, and at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Q: What was SpaceX's first rocket?

SpaceX’s first rocket was the Falcon 1, a two-stage liquid-fueled craft designed to send small satellites into Earth orbit . The Falcon 1 was significantly less expensive to build and operate than its competitors partly because of the SpaceX-developed Merlin engine. A Falcon entered Earth orbit successfully in 2008 for the first time.

Q: Why was SpaceX created?

In 2002 SpaceX was created by entrepreneur Elon Musk , whose stated goals were to revolutionize the aerospace industry and to make spaceflight more affordable.

Q: Is SpaceX a public company?

SpaceX is not a public company. Elon Musk suggested that the long-term goal of achieving regular flights to Mars could conflict with the short-term goals of making profits for public investors. Instead, SpaceX is funded by the U.S. government ( National Aeronautics and Space Administration ) and by institutional investors.

American corporation

Also known as: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation

Written by Alison Eldridge

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jan 20, 2025 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation

Date:: 2002 - present

Areas Of Involvement:: aerospace industry

Related People:: Elon Musk

See all related content

What is SpaceX?

Where is SpaceX located?

What was SpaceX's first rocket?

Why was SpaceX created?

Is SpaceX a public company?

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SpaceX, American aerospace company founded in 2002 that helped usher in the era of commercial spaceflight. It was the first private company to successfully launch and return a spacecraft from Earth orbit and the first to launch a crewed spacecraft and dock it with the International Space Station (ISS). Headquarters are in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX was formed by entrepreneur Elon Musk in the hopes of revolutionizing the aerospace industry and making affordable spaceflight a reality. The company entered the arena with the Falcon 1 rocket, a two-stage liquid-fueled craft designed to send small satellites into orbit. The Falcon 1 was ...(100 of 794 words)

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