Which CEO founded SpaceX?

Elon Musk was the CEO who founded SpaceX. He established Space Exploration Technologies Corporation in 2002 with the goal of making space launches less expensive and eventually supporting the exploration of Mars.

Musk's interest in the project grew after unsuccessful attempts to buy a Russian rocket for a Mars-related experiment. He decided that building rockets himself could be more practical, using vertical integration and relatively inexpensive commercial components. SpaceX initially operated from El Segundo, California, and hired engineers from established aerospace companies.

The company's first three Falcon 1 launches failed, but Falcon 1 reached orbit on its fourth attempt in September 2008. NASA then selected SpaceX for contracts connected with transporting cargo to the International Space Station. The company later developed Falcon 9, Dragon, and reusable first-stage technology; a Falcon 9 first stage landed successfully in 2015 and was reflown in 2017.

Tim Cook, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos are all associated with major technology or space businesses, but they did not found SpaceX.