EM
Designs, manufactures, and launches orbital rockets (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Starship) and Dragon spacecraft for satellite deployment and ISS resupply; also operates Starlink, a global broadband satellite internet network.
Designs, manufactures, and launches orbital rockets (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Starship) and Dragon spacecraft for satellite deployment and ISS resupply; also operates Starlink, a global broadband satellite internet network.
Founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, who invested $100M of his own money after the PayPal acquisition with the goal of making humanity multi-planetary. He believed NASA lacked the commercial incentives to drive down launch costs and set out to build fully reusable rockets from scratch. After three failed Falcon 1 launches nearly bankrupted the company in 2008, a NASA COTS cargo contract saved it. SpaceX became the first private company to deliver crew to the ISS in 2020 and has since become the world's most prolific launch provider.
An insider tender offer priced shares at $421 each, implying an $800B company valuation — one of the highest ever for a private company.
The booster returned to the launch tower and was caught mid-air by the launch mount's mechanical arms, marking the first successful booster catch in aerospace history.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon carried the Polaris Dawn mission to the highest Earth orbit since Apollo. Commander Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis performed the first commercial EVA.
The fourth integrated flight test demonstrated full reusability for the first time, with both the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage executing controlled water landings.
a16z invested $750M to support expansion of Starlink internet services and ongoing launch operations.
$750M raised total