Who founded SpaceX in 2002?

Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. He established the company after becoming interested in lowering launch costs and making human settlement of Mars more achievable.

SpaceX initially focused on developing the Falcon 1, a small orbital rocket. Its first three launches failed, but the fourth launch in September 2008 successfully reached orbit, saving the company from running out of money.

Musk is SpaceX’s founder and chief executive, but he did not build the company alone. Engineers, managers, and investors were essential to developing Falcon rockets, Dragon spacecraft, and Starlink satellites.

SpaceX is sometimes confused with Tesla because Musk leads both companies. Tesla is an electric-vehicle and energy company, while SpaceX is an aerospace company headquartered in Hawthorne, California.