SpaceX
SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches rockets and spacecraft for cargo and crewed missions
SpaceX builds launch vehicles and spacecraft from its Hawthorne, California headquarters, with the stated goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling human settlement on Mars. Elon Musk founded the company in 2002, starting with the Falcon 1, a two-stage liquid-fueled rocket powered by the SpaceX-developed Merlin engine that reached orbit in 2008. The Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy followed, both designed for reusability. The Dragon spacecraft flies cargo to the International Space Station, and Crew Dragon returned human launch capability to the United States in 2020, with the Demo-2 mission marking the first crewed commercial spacecraft to dock with the ISS. SpaceX also operates Starlink, a satellite internet constellation. The Starship and Super Heavy system is a fully reusable vehicle under development for crew and cargo transport to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Launch sites operate at Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center, and Vandenberg Space Force Base, with engine and structural testing conducted in McGregor, Texas.