What is SpaceX?
SpaceX is a private aerospace company founded by Elon
Musk in 2002. In 2008, their rocket, Falcon 1, became
the first privately funded rocket to reach orbit. Then
in 2009 became the first privately funded company to put
a satellite in orbit. And recently, became the first
private company to put astronauts in space.
SpaceX's Mission
SpaceX's ultimate goal is to put humans on mars.
Mars is about 140 million miles away, but thats not
stopping Elon Musk. Its almost hard to comprehend
waking up on a planet with 62% less gravity then Earth.
Whether life on Mars is possible is up for debate,
but it's Elon's lifelong goal to prove everyone whos
doubting him wrong.
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is SpaceX's very own reusable rocket.
Designed for human travel beyond Earth, it's
reusability lowers the cost. The first stage
consists of nine Merlin engines that generate more
than 1.7 million pounds of thrust at sea level.
The second stage is powered by one Merlin Vacuum
Engine. It can be restarted multiple times to
place several things in orbit. The Falcon 9 has had
91 total launches, and 37 reflown rockets.
Dragon
The Dragon aims to be the first spacecraft to take
humans to infinity and beyond. It can hold a large
amount of cargo as well as 7 passengers. This
became the first private spacecraft to take humans
to the space station in May 2020. Dragon has been launched
22 times, with 9 reflown missions.