Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 to develop reusable space-launch technology.
The company's full legal name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly shortened to SpaceX. Musk established it after becoming interested in reducing launch costs and expanding humanity's long-term possibilities in space.
SpaceX's early Falcon 1 program suffered several launch failures before reaching orbit in 2008. Its later Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft became central to the company's commercial and NASA operations. The company also developed the reusable Falcon 9 first stage, which can land and fly again.
Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin, so it is a frequent mix-up in founder questions about private space companies. SpaceX and Blue Origin are separate companies with different launch systems and corporate histories.