Below we have collected some of our most memorable moments from the last ten years. As we look back, we would like to thank NASA, our customers, supporters, and those who believe in what we are working so hard to accomplish. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to an exciting future.

Elon Musk founds SpaceX in 2002 and opens our first manufacturing facility in El Segundo – at the center of Southern California’s aerospace industry.

In 2006, NASA awards SpaceX a contract under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to develop the capability to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as represented by the image shown here.

SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket becomes the 1st liquid fueled rocket developed by a private company to reach Earth’s orbit. This picture shows the nozzle of Falcon 1’s upper stage engine just as it achieved orbit, nine and a half minutes after launch.

In 2008, NASA selects SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to take over the job of transporting cargo to and from the Space Station from the retiring space shuttle. While initial flights will focus on cargo, Falcon 9 and Dragon were designed from the beginning to transport crew; every cargo flight to the Space Station gets us one step closer to this goal.

Falcon 1 delivers its first commercial payload to Earth orbit – the RazakSAT satellite for Malaysia. In this image, you see the two halves of the faring that covered the satellite during launch fall back to Earth after separating.

In 2010, SpaceX launches the first flight of Falcon 9, one of the most advanced rockets in the world. The first launch achieved a nearly perfect insertion of the second stage and Dragon spacecraft qualification unit into the targeted 250 km (155 mi) circular orbit.

Also in 2010, the second flight of Falcon 9 orbits the first operational Dragon spacecraft under the NASA COTS program, and SpaceX becomes the first private company to recover a spacecraft from Earth orbit—a feat previously only accomplished by a few nations.

The last 10 years have been an incredible experience and the next 10 promise to be just as exciting. Stay tuned for more updates on our first upcoming mission to Station, Falcon Heavy and our progress in preparing Dragon to transport crew.

SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket

SPACEX PRESS RELEASE

Today Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astrium announced a commercial agreement to provide dedicated launch services to the European institutional small satellite market.

Under the agreement, Astrium intends to work with SpaceX to market Falcon 1 launch capabilities to various space agencies and other institutional customers in Europe for launches to take place through 2015.

With dedicated launch services, customers with very small payloads can launch independently to low-Earth orbit, giving them greater control over launch and launch schedule. With the Falcon 1, these services can be provided at the world’s lowest cost per flight when compared to any other launch service provider.

“I am proud that such a prominent European leader in space transportation, satellite systems and services would choose to team with SpaceX,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO.  “Our agreement with Astrium opens exciting new doors for SpaceX.  Together we will meet the growing demand for reliable, low-cost and dedicated launch services for very small Earth observation and scientific payloads for European institutional customers.”

Falcon launch vehicles are designed to provide breakthrough advances in reliability, cost, and time to launch.  The primary design driver is reliability – nothing is more important than getting a customer’s spacecraft safely to its intended destination.

About SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft that will increase reliability and performance of space transportation, while ultimately reducing costs by a factor of ten.  With the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets, SpaceX currently has a diverse manifest to deliver commercial satellites to orbit.  In addition, the Falcon 9 and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft are under contract with NASA to carry cargo, including live plants and animals, to and from the International Space Station.  Since its inception, Dragon has been developed to accommodate crew.

Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders Fund and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.  The company has over 1,100 employees in California, Texas and Florida.  For more information, and to watch the video of the first Falcon 9 launch, visit the SpaceX website at SpaceX.com<http://www.spacex.com/>.

For more on Astrium visit http://www.astrium.eads.net/.

SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket

SPACEX PRESS RELEASE

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and the National Space Organization (NSPO) have signed contract for the launch of NSPO’s Earth Observation Satellite, Formosat-5. Formosat-5 will be used to continue the image data service for civilian users and may also carry instruments to conduct space research and scientific experiments.

NSPO, the civilian space agency of the Republic of China (Taiwan), is involved in the development of space exploration, satellite construction and development as well as related research, technologies and infrastructure, including the FORMOSAT series of Earth observation satellites. With Formosat-5, NSPO aims to build up capabilities for independent development of spacecraft and payload instruments.

“The launch of Formosat-5 will build on the successful launch and operation of the FORMOSAT satellites, “ said Dr. H.P. Chang, Formosat-5 Program Manager of NSPO. “SpaceX’s approach to launch services is very well-aligned with our goals and objectives for the program—we are very pleased to partner with them on this launch.”

“With over 40 flights now on manifest, SpaceX is positioned to deliver launch services across the increasingly varied needs of our commercial and government customers,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX. “We are pleased to be the launch services provider of choice for the FORMOSAT-5 mission and look forward to supporting NSPO on this launch.”

Formosat-5 is slated to launch as early as December 2013 from SpaceX’s launch site on Omelek Island at the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific, about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii.

Falcon 9 takes off on its first flight. (Credit: Chris Thompson SpaceX)

The success of Falcon 9 has got ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain thinking, according to a report in Flight Global. Dordain that SpaceX’s approach is to make about 80 percent of components in-house, something that would be difficult for ESA because it needs to spread out contracts across Europe according the member states’ contributions.

But most significantly, says Dordain, SpaceX also represents an entirely new type of relationship between government and the space industry. While most of the money invested in developing Falcon 9 and its smaller predecessor, Falcon 1, has come from the US government, SpaceX founder Elon Musk – whose earlier success as co-founder of the online payments system PayPal earned him millions – and a group of private investors have put substantial sums into the programmes.

He doubts that there is scope for a European counterpart of SpaceX because he does not believe the European launch market is big enough to support independent players whose business was based solely on government launch contracts.

Dordain is either wrong or was misquoted on this last point. NASA is subsidizing the development of the Falcon 9, and guaranteeing a set number of supply missions to the International Space Station. SpaceX is using this as a base from which to create a commercial  business, having already lined up private payloads for the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets.  If SpaceX’s business model was solely based on government contracts, it wouldn’t have received much – if any – private investment because the market is so limited.

Read the full story.

SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket

PRESS RELEASE

ORBCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: ORBC) and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) announce they have reached an agreement for SpaceX to launch 18 ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) satellites to begin as early as the fourth quarter of 2010 through 2014. SpaceX will deliver ORBCOMM’s second-generation satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) for the purpose of supporting ORBCOMM’s existing constellation of satellites, adding new features, and growing its global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) offerings.

Each new satellite will be equipped with an enhanced communication payload designed to increase subscriber capacity for M2M communication up to 12 times over the current satellite constellation, increase message sizes, and include AIS detection capability.

SpaceX plans to launch the second-generation satellites on multiple Falcon 1e launch vehicles, an enhanced version of SpaceX’s Falcon 1 launch vehicle. Most recently, Falcon 1 successfully delivered the RazakSAT satellite to orbit for ATSB of Malaysia. Designed from the ground up by SpaceX, the Falcon 1e has upgraded propulsion, structures and avionics systems in order to further improve reliability and mass-to-orbit capability.

“ORBCOMM has chosen SpaceX as a launch solution that meets ORBCOMM’s current requirements and potential future launch needs,” said Marc Eisenberg, Chief Executive Officer of ORBCOMM. “Through this agreement ORBCOMM has a strategic launch partner that provides a valuable solution now and in the future.”

“SpaceX is pleased to be ORBCOMM’s choice for these important missions,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX. “By leveraging the flight-proven architecture of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle, the Falcon 1e will provide the OG2 satellites with a highly reliable and cost-effective ride to orbit.”

About ORBCOMM

ORBCOMM is a leading global satellite data communications company, focused on Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. Its customers include Caterpillar Inc., Doosan Infracore America, General Electric, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Komatsu Ltd., Manitowoc Crane Companies, Inc., and Volvo Construction Equipment among other industry leaders. By means of a global network of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and accompanying ground infrastructure, ORBCOMM’s low-cost and reliable two-way data communications track, monitor and control mobile and fixed assets in four core markets: commercial transportation; heavy equipment; industrial fixed assets; and marine/homeland security. ORBCOMM-based products are installed on trucks, containers, marine vessels, locomotives, backhoes, pipelines, oil wells, utility meters, storage tanks and other assets. ORBCOMM is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and has its network control center in Dulles, Virginia. For more information, visit www.orbcomm.com.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 vehicles, SpaceX offers highly reliable/cost-efficient launch capabilities for spacecraft insertion into any orbital altitude and inclination. Starting in 2010, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will provide Earth-to-LEO transport of pressurized and unpressurized cargo, including resupply to the International Space Station (ISS).

Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders Fund and DFJ. The SpaceX team now numbers over 800, with corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, California. For more information, please visit the company’s web site at www.spacex.com.

SpaceX’s Falcon 1e Rocket Replaces Cheaper Falcon 1
Space News

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., will replace its Falcon 1 rocket by the end of 2010 with the more capable and more expensive Falcon 1e rocket, the company said Aug. 6.

The upgraded version of the rocket uses a more powerful engine than the one originally designed for Falcon 1 and will be able to put larger, heavier payloads into orbit. A Falcon 1e launch will cost “under $11 million,” Rob Peckham, SpaceX vice president of business development, said in an e-mailed response to questions. Originally marketed as a $6-million rocket, SpaceX more recently pegged a Falcon 1 launch at $8 million.

Read the full story.

SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket put Malaysia’s RazakSAT remote sensing satellite into orbit on Tuesday from a seaside launch pad in the Marshall Islands.

The launch, which occurred at 3:35 p.m. local time (8:35 p.m. PDT Monday), appeared to go flawlessly based on a live webcast. About a half hour after the rocket reached orbit, the second stage relighted and deployed the satellite into its correct orbit over the Equator.

This is the first satellite placed into orbit by the California-based start-up. In its most recent launch, Falcon 1 put the second stage of the rocket into orbit but there was no satellite aboard. Three previous launch attempts failed.

This launch marks the first time that a privately funded, liquid fueled rocket has placed a satellite into orbit.

SPACEX MISSION UPDATE

The launch window for the fifth Falcon 1 launch opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).

SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 5/RazakSAT mission via webcast at www.SpaceX.com. The webcast will begin 20 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site. Post-launch, video footage and photos will be available for download on the web site.

SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 1 rocket with Malaysia’s RazakSAT remote sensing satellite from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Tuesday local time (Monday in the United States).

SpaceX’s website indicates that “the launch window opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).”

This will be the fifth launch of the Falcon 1 rocket, which has succeeded once in four previous attempts.

SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket

 

SPACEX PRESS RELEASE

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) of Malaysia announce a new launch window has been set for Falcon 1 Flight 5, carrying the RazakSAT satellite to orbit. The launch window opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).

The launch was delayed last month after SpaceX identified the potential for an unfavorable interaction between the satellite and the launch vehicle. After further analysis, SpaceX determined the implementation of a simple vibration isolation system would address this concern. SpaceX selected the SoftRide isolation system from CSA Engineering for this purpose, citing the system’s strong flight heritage and established success in addressing vibration concerns.

Falcon 1, a two-stage, liquid oxygen/rocket-grade kerosene vehicle designed from the ground up by SpaceX, will place the RazakSAT satellite, equipped with a high resolution Medium-Sized Aperture Camera (MAC), into a near equatorial orbit.

RazakSAT was designed and built by ATSB, a pioneer and leader in the design and manufacture of satellites in Malaysia. The satellite is expected to provide high resolution images of Malaysia that can be applied to land management, resource development and conservation, forestry and fish migration.

SpaceX’s Falcon 1 launch site is located approximately 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific. Due to the location of the launch site, the Kwajalein local date at the opening of the launch window will be Tuesday, July 14th.

SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 5/RazakSAT mission via webcast at www.SpaceX.com. The webcast will begin 20 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site. Post-launch, video footage and photos will be available for download on the web site.

SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket takes off on first successful flight.

SpaceX’s launch of Malaysia’s Razaksat remote sensing satellite has been rescheduled for mid-July, a two-month slip from its original April 21 launch date.

The Malaysian National News Agency Bernama quotes Fadillah Yusof, the nation’s Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, as saying that a mismatch in vibrational standards between the Falcon 1 launcher and the satellite caused the delay:

“The rocket, when they did the final test before the launch, was found to have extra vibration compared to the fixed specifications,” he told reporters after launching the 20th Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibiton 2009 here Friday.

This will be the fifth launch for the Falcon 1, which has succeeded once in the previous four attempts.

Read the full story.

Another Big Moment for Elon Musk
Air & Space Magazine

At 37 years old, Elon Musk is poised to become either the Henry Ford or the Howard Hughes of his generation. If his Falcon rockets and Tesla electric cars succeed, he’ll revolutionize 21st century transportation. If they don’t, he’ll likely be remembered as a colorful, clever, but ultimately irrelevant tinkerer. After all, Neil Young has an electric car, too.

Yesterday was to have marked the start of a new, commercial phase for Musk’s company, SpaceX. So far, nearly all the payloads entrusted to the fledgling Falcon 1 rocket have belonged either to the U.S. Defense Department or NASA, both of whom have a stake in seeing Musk achieve his goal of bringing down launch costs. If the government lost a few inexpensive satellites in the Falcon’s first three failed test flights, what matter? Helping SpaceX build a reliable rocket is considered more important.

But SpaceX’s fortunes ride on how well the Falcon 9 performs. It’s a lot of pressure on Musk, who recently has seemed more Hughes than Ford, at least in his private life: divorce, relationships with starlets, spats with reporters, all of which have landed him in the tabloids more than he’d probably like. Maybe it’s a relief to turn back to the relatively tame world of rocket science, and figure out how to get RazakSAT safely off the ground.

Read the full story.

SPACEX PRESS RELEASE

Due to a potential compatibility issue between the RazakSAT spacecraft and Falcon 1 launch vehicle, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) have agreed to postpone the launch of ATSB’s RazakSAT satellite.

While both the Falcon 1 vehicle and satellite passed all preliminary checkouts and are cleared for launch, a concern has been identified regarding the potential impact of predicted vehicle environments on the satellite. Based on these concerns, the SpaceX team is evaluating options to minimize this impact and ensure mission success.

“SpaceX is committed to the safety and success of our customer’s payloads,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “Our engineers are addressing this issue and we look forward to launching RazakSAT once the issue is fully understood and resolved.”

“Both teams are confident the issue will be resolved,“ said Dr. Ahmad Sabirin, CEO of ATSB. “We are all looking forward to a
successful launch.“

SpaceX is looking at about a six-week delay on the launch of its next Falcon 1 rocket, The New Straits Times reports:

The launch of the RazakSAT, Malaysia’s second remote sensing satellite has been postponed until further notice due to “technical problems”.

Due for lift-off on April 21, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Hanan Alang Endut said the delay was because of problems with the launching vehicle.

Abdul Hanan said SpaceX will be doing the repairs which will take at least six weeks.

Read the full story.

PRESS RELEASE

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announces that the launch window for ATSB’s RazakSAT on Falcon 1 Flight 5, is currently scheduled to open Monday, April 20th at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).

SpaceX’s Falcon 1 launch site is located approximately 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific. Due to the location of the launch site, the Kwajalein local date at the opening of the launch window will be April 21st.

RazakSAT was designed and built by Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB), a pioneer and leader in the design and manufacture of satellites in Malaysia. The satellite will be launched aboard the Falcon 1, a two-stage, liquid oxygen/rocket-grade kerosene vehicle, designed from the ground up by SpaceX.

Falcon 1 will place RazakSAT, equipped with a high resolution Medium-Sized Aperture Camera (MAC), into a near equatorial orbit. The payload is expected to provide high resolution images of Malaysia that can be applied to land management, resource development and conservation, forestry and fish migration.

SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 5/RazakSAT mission via webcast at: www.SpaceX.com. The webcast will begin 20 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site. Post-launch, video footage and photos will be available for download on the Web site.