Time for a little change of pace. Instead of talking about a galactic phenomenon or celestial object, this week I’m going to discuss SpaceX, the private company that is changing the game of space exploration. (On a personal note, working for SpaceX is pretty much the dream job for me right now). Founded in 2002 by internet billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX boldly defines its ultimate goal as “enabling people to live on other planets.” An ambitious mission statement to say the least. But if anyone can do it it’s Elon Musk. Musk graduated from the UPenn with a double major in physics and economics and in 1995 he began working toward a PhD in applied physics at Stanford. However, Musk left after just two days to pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations.
By the year 2000 Musk had made over $180 million through internet companies Zip2 and X.com (which later came to own Pay-Pal), both of which he founded personally. Two years later Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), and soon after became the CEO of Tesla Motors, a company that is redefining the electric automobile. Musk’s work ethic and brilliance are legendary in the business world. In an interview with Business Insider, Jim Cantrell, SpaceX’s first VP of business development, says that “Musk literally taught himself rocket science by reading textbooks and talking to industry heavyweights.”
SpaceX has made history time and time again. In December of 2010 it became the one and only company to ever return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit. SpaceX proved that it wasn’t a one-hit wonder in May of 2012, when its Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS), delivered cargo, and returned safely to the planet’s surface. Up until this point, a task of such magnitude had only been accomplished by governments, never a private enterprise. Since this first success SpaceX has entered into a $1.6 billion contract with NASA, in which SpaceX will provide a minimum of 12 supply missions to the ISS.
SpaceX operates three distinct space vehicles: the Dragon, the Falcon 9, and the Falcon Heavy. Dragon, the spacecraft responsible for delivering cargo to the ISS, was originally designed to carry human passengers. Due to a new agreement with NASA, SpaceX is currently making the modifications that will allow Dragon to fulfill its initial mission of human transport. The first manned flight in a Dragon capsule is expected to take place in the next 2 to 3 years. Falcon 9 is the two-stage rocket responsible for taking Dragon into orbit, and is the first rocket designed entirely in the 21st century. Its nine engines allow for mission completion even in the event of an engine failure.
But the power of the Falcon 9 pales in comparison to the Falcon Heavy. Called “the world’s most powerful rocket,” there is currently no other space vehicle in operation that can match the raw capabilities of the Falcon Heavy. Built around three Falcon 9 cores, Falcon Heavy can generate nearly 4 million pounds of thrust at takeoff. No rocket has had the ability to carry the amount of payload the Falcon Heavy can since the Saturn V moon rocket. Since its inception, the Falcon Heavy has been designed to carry humans into space, with the final destination being Mars. Through the daring vision of Elon Musk, SpaceX may finally turn homo sapiens into an interplanetary species.
[…] they’re not resupplying the International Space Station or planning much bigger adventures, SpaceX apparently has a fun and whimsical team that can draw. These inspiring retro-futuristic […]