Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, is a space transport company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by former PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk. It has developed the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 space boosters, both of which are built with a goal of becoming reusable launch vehicles. SpaceX has also launched the Dragon spacecraft to be flown into orbit by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. On 25 May 2012, SpaceX made history as the world's first privately held company to send a cargo load, the Dragon spacecraft, to the International Space Station.^[4]

In order to control quality and costs, SpaceX designs, tests and fabricates the majority of its components in-house, including the Merlin, Kestrel, and Draco rocket engines used on the Falcon launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft. In 2006, NASA awarded the company a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract to design and demonstrate a launch system to resupply cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). On 9 December 2010, the launch of the COTS Demo Flight 1 mission, SpaceX became the first privately funded company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft. On 22 May 2012, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carried the unmanned Dragon capsule into space, marking the first time a private company has sent a spacecraft to the space station. The unmanned, cone-shaped capsule became the first privately built and operated vehicle to ever dock to the orbiting outpost.

NASA has also awarded SpaceX a contract to develop and demonstrate a human-rated Dragon as part of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program to transport crew to the ISS. SpaceX is planning its first crewed Dragon/Falcon9 flight in 2015, when it expects to have a fully certified, human-rated launch escape system incorporated into the spacecraft.

Besides NASA contracts, SpaceX has signed contracts with private sector companies, non-American government agencies and the American military for its launch services. It has already launched, for a paying customer, a low earth orbiting satellite with its Falcon 1 booster in 2009.^[5] The company plans to launch its first commercial geostationary satellite in 2013 from a Falcon 9.

Future projects that are in the planning stages or in development include the Falcon Heavy launch system, as well as a NASA robotic mission to Mars in 2018. The Heavy is based on Falcon 9 technology, and if construction goes as planned, it will be the most powerful rocket in the American inventory since the Apollo-era Saturn V. Falcon Heavy can be used to send a crewed Dragon spacecraft on lunar orbiting missions – such as the Apollo 8 mission; or be used to send a modified unpiloted Dragon on a Mars landing mission. Musk has stated that his intention for the company is to help in the creation of a permanent human presence on Mars.

Background[link]

The company's current headquarters, located in Hawthorne, California.

SpaceX was founded in June 2002 by PayPal and Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk who had invested $100 million USD of his own money by March 2006.^[6] In January 2005, SpaceX bought a 10% stake in Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.^[7] On 4 August 2008, SpaceX accepted a further $20 million USD investment from the Founders Fund.^[8] The company has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2002, growing from 160 employees in November 2005 to more than 500 by July 2008, to over 1,100 in 2010.^[9][10] Two-thirds of the company is owned by its founder^[11] and his 70 million shares are worth $875 million on private markets,^[12] which roughly values SpaceX at $1.3 billion as of February 2012.^[13] An initial public offering may happen by the end of 2013.^[14]

Musk believes the high prices of other space-launch services are driven in part by unnecessary bureaucracy. He has stated that one of his goals is to improve the cost and reliability of access to space, ultimately by a factor of ten.^[15] SpaceX became the first private company to successfully launch and return a spacecraft from orbit on 8 December 2010, after its Dragon capsule returned from a two-orbit flight.^[16] Space Foundation recognized SpaceX for its successful Dragon launch and recovery with the Space Achievement Award in 2011.^[17]

At various conferences, SpaceX has revealed concept slides for future engine, stage, and launch vehicle designs. Development of these designs would be predicated on demand for increased performance. Company plans in 2004 called for "development of a heavy lift product and even a super-heavy, if there is customer demand" with each size increase resulting in a significant decrease in cost per pound to orbit. CEO Elon Musk said: "I believe $500 per pound ($1,100/kg) or less is very achievable."^[18]

Elon Musk has stated the personal goal of eventually enabling human exploration and settlement of Mars.^[19] He stated in a 2011 interview that he hopes to send humans to Mars' surface within 10–20 years.^[19]

Flight operations and contracts[link]

Flight operations[link]

The first Falcon 1 at Vandenberg AFB. This vehicle was removed from VAFB due to delays and eventually launched from Kwajalein.

SpaceX has used a number of launch sites, including:

• Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, Omelek Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands
• Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40
• Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 4

All Falcon 1 launches have taken place at Omelek Island. Falcon 9 launches on the SpaceX manifest are planned for Cape Canaveral SLC-40 and Vandenberg AFB SLC-4E (Polar Launches);^[20] both the Falcon 9 maiden flight on 4 June 2010, and the 8 December 2010 flight also took place at Cape Canaveral SLC-40.

The company purchased the McGregor, Texas, testing facilities of defunct Beal Aerospace, where it refitted the largest test stand at the facilities for Falcon 9 testing. SpaceX plans to upgrade the facility for launch testing a VTVL rocket in 2012.^[21]

On 16 June 2009, SpaceX announced the opening of its Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance Department. It hired former NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox to oversee the department as a vice president of the company.^[22]

SpaceX broke ground on their own launch site, located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, on 13 July 2011.^[23] The launch site is intended for use by the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, which is scheduled to be brought on site in 2012 with a test flight to follow soon after.^[24] The project is expected to cost between $20 to $30 million USD for the first 24 months of construction and operation; thereafter, operational costs are expected to be $5–10 million USD per year. The site is said to be a natural fit for SpaceX, as they attempted to schedule a Falcon 1 launch from there previously but had to move the launch to the Reagan site due to scheduling conflicts.^[23] SpaceX plans to launch up to 16 flights per year by 2015 from Vandenberg.^[23]

New commercial-only launch site[link]

As of April 2012^[update], SpaceX is considering five potential locations around the country for a new commercial launch pad. Potential locations include "sites in Alaska, California, Florida, Texas and Virginia."

One of the proposed locations for the new commercial-mission-only spaceport is south Texas, which was revealed in April 2012, via preliminary regulatory documentation. The FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation initiated a Notice of Intent to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement^[25] and public hearings on the new launch site, which would be located in Cameron County. The site would support up to 12 commercial launches per year, including two Falcon Heavy launches.^[26] "Before anything could be done on the project, an environmental impact statement, a public scoping period and a public scoping meeting would need to be held."^[27] Although preliminary environmental assessment regulatory documents have been filed for this location, that site has not yet been selected as the site for construction.^[28] The first public meeting is scheduled for 15 May 2012.^[27] As of May 2012^[update], the State of Texas is considering a package of incentives to encourage SpaceX to locate at the Brownsville location.^[29]

Contracts[link]

On 2 May 2005, SpaceX announced that it had been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for Responsive Small Spacelift (RSS) launch services by the United States Air Force, which could allow the Air Force to purchase up to $100 Million USD worth of launches from the company.^[30] On 22 April 2008, NASA announced that it had awarded an IDIQ Launch Services contract to SpaceX for Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launches. The contract will be worth up to $1 billion USD, depending on the number of missions awarded. The contract covers launch services ordered by 30 June 2010, for launches through December 2012.^[31] Musk stated in the same 2008 announcement that SpaceX has sold 14 contracts for flights on the various Falcon vehicles.^[31] On 18 August 2006, NASA announced that SpaceX had won a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract to demonstrate cargo delivery to the International Space Station (ISS) with a possible option for crew transport.^[32] This contract, designed by NASA to provide "seed money" for development of new boosters, paid SpaceX $278 million USD to develop the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, with incentive payments paid at milestones culminating in three demonstration launches.^[33] On 23 December 2008, SpaceX announced that it had won a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract, for at least 12 missions for $1.6 billion USD to carry supplies and cargo to and from the ISS.^[34]

SpaceX announced on 15 March 2010 that it will launch SES-8, a medium-sized communications satellite for SES, on a Falcon 9 vehicle in 2013.^[35] SES is SpaceX's first contract for a geostationary communications satellite launch.^[35] In June 2010, SpaceX was awarded the largest-ever commercial space launch contract, worth $492 million USD, to launch Iridium satellites using Falcon 9 rockets.^[36]

Funding[link]

As of May 2012^[update], SpaceX has operated on total funding of approximately one billion dollars in its first ten years of operation. Of this, private equity has provided about $200M, with Musk investing approximately $100M and other investors having put in about $100M. The remainder has come from progress payments on long-term launch contracts and development contracts. NASA has put in about $400-500M of this amount, with most of that as progress payments on launch contracts. SpaceX currently has contracts for 40 launch missions, and each of those contracts provide down payments at contract signing, plus many are paying progress payments as launch vehicle components are built in advance of mission launch, driven in part by US accounting rules for recognizing long-term revenue.^[37]

NASA collaborations[link]

COTS program[link]

In 2006, NASA awarded the company a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract to design and demonstrate a launch system to resupply cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) On 9 December 2010, the launch of the COTS Demo Flight 1 mission, SpaceX became the first privately funded company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.

The original NASA contract called for the COTS Demo Flight 1 to occur the second quarter of 2008;^[38] this flight was delayed several times, occurring at 1543 UTC on 8 December 2010.^[39] Dragon was successfully deployed into orbit, circling the Earth twice, and then made a controlled reentry burn that put it on target for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico.^[40] With Dragon's safe recovery, SpaceX become the first private company to launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft; prior to this mission, only government agencies had been able to recover orbital spacecraft.^[40]

According to the original schedule, in COTS Demo Flight 2 the Dragon spacecraft would make its second flight and would rendezvous with the ISS but not be berthed. The third flight would see Dragon being berthed to the ISS.^[38] However, after the success of the first mission, NASA conditionally agreed on 15 July 2011 that the two flights would be combined, and the next Dragon mission was to have Dragon being berthed with the ISS.^[41] On 9 December 2011, NASA formally approved the merger of the COTS 2 and 3 missions into the COTS 2 flight, but yet again delayed the tentative launch date by another month to 7 February 2012.^[42] However, on 16 January 2012, SpaceX announced it needed more time for engineering tests, and postponed the launch date again, with no replacement date initially announced.^[43] On 19 May at approximately 4:55AM EDT the launch for the COTS 2+ mission was automatically aborted when the pressure in one of the engine chambers was higher than expected. The COTS Demo Flight 2 launch was postponed to 22 May 2012, at which point it succeeded in putting the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. Several days later, the Dragon capsule successfully berthed with the International Space Station, marking the first time that a private spacecraft had accomplished this feat.^{[44] [45]}

CCDev program[link]

NASA's Commercial Crew Development program intends to develop commercially operated manned spacecrafts that are capable of delivering crew to the ISS, during the second phase of the program NASA awarded SpaceX with a contract to further develop their launch escape system, test a crew accommodations mock-up and to further progress the Falcon 9/Dragon crew transportation design.^[46] SpaceX has submitted a proposal for the third round of the CCDev program.^[47] SpaceX is planning a crewed Dragon/Falcon9 flight in future years when it expects to have a fully certified, human-rated launch escape system incorporated into the spacecraft.^[48]

"Red Dragon" Mars mission concept[link]

In addition to SpaceX's privately funded plans for an eventual Mars mission, as of July 2011^[update] NASA Ames Research Center is developing a concept for a low-cost Mars mission that would utilize Falcon Heavy as the launch vehicle and trans-Martian injection vehicle, and the Dragon capsule to enter the Martian atmosphere. The concept, called 'Red Dragon', would be proposed for funding in 2012/2013 as a NASA Discovery mission, for launch in 2018 and arrival at Mars several months later. The science objectives of the mission would be to look for evidence of life — detecting "molecules that are proof of life, like DNA or perchlorate reductase ... proof of life through biomolecules. ... Red Dragon would drill 3.3 feet (1.0 m) or so underground, in an effort to sample reservoirs of water ice known to lurk under the red dirt." The mission cost is projected to be less than $425,000,000, not including the launch cost.^[49]

Space vehicles[link]

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft, lifts off during the COTS Demo Flight 1 on 8 December 2010.

SpaceX is manufacturing two main space launch vehicles: the Falcon 1, which made its first successful flight on 28 September 2008,^[50][51] and the large Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)-class Falcon 9, which flew successfully into orbit on its maiden launch on 4 June 2010.^[51] A Falcon 5 launcher was also planned, but its development was stopped in favor of the Falcon 9.^[52] SpaceX also developed the Dragon, a pressurized orbital spacecraft that is launched on top of a Falcon 9 booster, that can carry cargo, and is in the process of being human-rated.^[53]

Launch vehicles[link]

Falcon 1[link]

The Falcon 1 prototype at SpaceX's assembly facilities.

The Falcon 1 is a small, partially reusable rocket capable of placing several hundred kilograms into low earth orbit.^[51] It also functioned as a testbed for developing concepts and components for the larger Falcon 9.^[51] Initial Falcon 1 flights were launched from the US government's Reagan Test Center on the island atoll of Kwajalein in the Pacific Ocean, and represented the first attempt to fly a ground-launched rocket to orbit from that site.^[54]

On 26 March 2006, the Falcon 1's maiden flight failed only seconds after leaving the pad due to a fuel line rupture.^[55] After almost a full-year, the second flight was launched on 22 March 2007 and also ended in failure, due to a spin stabilization problem that automatically caused sensors to turn off the Merlin first stage engine.^[54] The third Falcon 1 flight used a new regenerative cooling system for the first stage Merlin engine, and its development was responsible for the almost 17-month flight delay.^[56] The new cooling system turned out to be the major reason the mission failed; because the first stage rammed into the second stage engine bell at staging, due to excess fuel, left over from the cooling system, powering the engine a few seconds longer than it was supposed to.^[56] On 28 September 2008, the Falcon 1 succeeded in reaching orbit on its fourth attempt, becoming the first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket to do so.^[57] The Falcon 1 carried its first successful commercial payload, RazakSAT, into orbit on 13 July 2009, on its fifth launch.^[5]

Falcon 9[link]

On 8 September 2005, SpaceX announced the development of the medium-lift Falcon 9 rocket, which can deliver up to 10,450 kilograms (23,000 lb) to orbit. It has nine Merlin engines in its first stage.^[58] The design is an EELV-class vehicle, intended to compete with the Delta IV and the Atlas V rockets.

On 22 November 2008, SpaceX fired the nine Merlin 1C engines of the Falcon 9 at their McGregor test facility. Delivering 350 metric-tons-force (3.4-meganewtons) of thrust, the engines were well under the test stand's capacity of 1,500 metric-tons-force (15 meganewtons).^[59]

The first Falcon 9 vehicle was integrated at Cape Canaveral on 30 December 2008. NASA was planning for a flight to take place in January 2010;^[60] however the maiden flight was postponed several times and took place on 4 June 2010.^[61] At 2:50pm EST the Falcon 9 rocket successfully reached orbit. The second flight for the Falcon 9 vehicle was the COTS Demo Flight 1 on 8 December 2010, the first launch under the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract designed to provide "seed money" for development of new boosters.^[31] Its third flight, COTS Demo Flight 2, launched on 22 May 2012.^[62]

Falcon Heavy[link]

The Falcon Heavy is a planned heavy-lift configuration using a cluster of three Falcon 9 first stage cores with a total 27 uprated Merlin 1D engines and propellant cross-feed.^[63] SpaceX is aiming for the first demo flight of the Falcon Heavy in 2013.^[63]

Dragon[link]

Inside the deck

The Dragon capsule at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

The Dragon capsule being captured by the Canadarm2 on May 25, 2012. The first time a privately built spacecraft has docked with the ISS

In 2005, SpaceX announced plans to pursue a human-rated commercial space program through the end of the decade.^[64] The Dragon spacecraft is intended to carry up to seven astronauts into orbit and beyond.^[65] It is a conventional blunt-cone ballistic capsule, which is capable of carrying 7 people or a mixture of personnel and cargo to and from low Earth orbit.^[65] It is launched atop a Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the spacecraft's nosecone is jettisoned shortly after launch. For NASA cargo missions, Dragon will be equipped with a Common Berthing Mechanism, and will be berthed to the U.S. segment of the ISS by the Canadarm2.^[66] For NASA manned missions, Dragon will be equipped with the NASA Docking System and dock to the U.S. segment.^[67]

In 2006, NASA announced that the company was one of two selected to provide crew and cargo resupply demonstration contracts to the ISS under the COTS program.^[68] SpaceX will demonstrate cargo resupply and eventually crew transportation services using the Dragon. NASA's original plan called for COTS demonstration flights between 2008 and 2010.^[69][70] SpaceX was not able to meet that schedule, but eventually began test-flights in 2010.

The first flight of a Dragon structural test article took place 4 June 2010, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during the maiden flight of the Falcon 9, although the mock-up Dragon lacked avionics, heat shield, and other key elements.^[71] An operational Dragon spacecraft was launched on 8 December 2010 aboard COTS Demo Flight 1, the Falcon 9's second flight, and safely returned to Earth after two orbits, completing all its mission objectives.^[53]

In 2009 and 2010, Musk suggested on several occasions that plans for a human-rated variant of Dragon were proceeding and had a 2- to 3-year time line to completion.^[72][73] On 18 April 2011, NASA granted SpaceX $75 million to develop Dragon's integrated launch escape system in preparation for human-rating it as a crew transport vehicle to the ISS as part of its second-round CCDev Space Act funding.^[74] This Space Act Agreement runs from April 2011 until May 2012, when the next funding round grants are to be awarded.^[74] NASA approved the technical plans for the system in October 2011, and SpaceX began building prototype hardware.^[48]

Under development[link]

Grasshopper[link]

The Grasshopper reusable launch vehicle (RLV) is a vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) technology demonstrator rocket^[75] built in 2011 for low-altitude testing scheduled to begin in 2012.^[76] The rocket "consists of a Falcon 9 first stage tank, a single Merlin-1D engine, four steel landing legs and a support structure, plus other pressurization tanks attached to the support structure" and will stand at 106 feet (32 m) tall.^[21]

Air-launched rocket[link]

In December 2011 Stratolaunch Systems announced that it would contract with SpaceX to develop an air-launched, four or five engine, multiple-stage launch vehicle, as a derivative of Falcon 9 technology, called the Falcon 9 Air,^[77] as part of the Stratolaunch project.^[78] Stratolaunch will initially place satellites of up to 6,100 kg (13,000 pounds) into low-earth orbit; and once it is established as a reliable system, a human-rated version will also be explored.^[79] The system can take-off from airfields with a minimum 3,700 m (12,100 feet) length, and the carrier aircraft is supposed to fly to 9,100 m (30,000 feet) and travel to a launch point up to 2,200 km (1,200 nautical miles) away from the airfield.^[78]

Stratolaunch Systems is a project funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen's Vulcan investment and project management company.^[80] The whole system will be the largest aircraft ever built; with the first test flight of the carrier aircraft expected in 2015 from Scaled Composites' facilities in Mojave, California,^[79] and the first test launch of the rocket not expected before 2016.^[81]

Concept vehicles[link]

In a presentation to the Joint Propulsion Conference in July 2010, SpaceX revealed preliminary, but unfunded, design concepts for a larger Merlin 2 engine. The Merlin 2 would be used on conceptual heavy-lift launch vehicles Falcon X, Falcon X Heavy, and Falcon XX.^[82] By mid-August, the SpaceX CEO Elon Musk clarified that while the Merlin 2 engine architecture was a key element of any effort SpaceX would make toward their objective of "super-heavy lift" launch vehicles—and that SpaceX indeed did want to "move toward super heavy lift"—the specific potential design configurations of the particular launch vehicles shown by Markusic at the propulsion conference were merely conceptual "brainstorming ideas", just a "bunch of ideas for discussion".^[83]

See also[link]

	Spaceflight portal
	Los Angeles portal
	Companies portal

• Orbital Sciences Corporation
• Space exploration
• Private spaceflight

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:SpaceX

• SpaceX official company website
• Maiden flight slide presentationPDF
• Michael Belfiore's notes from SpaceX pre-launch conference in 2005
• Kwajalein Atoll and Rockets (Candid and highly unofficial blog by Elon Musk's brother Kimbal, with on-site pictures and reporting.)
• Video of Elon Musk discussing his interest in enabling human missions to Mars on YouTube
• SpaceX on Twitter
• SpaceX's channel on YouTube
• SpaceX on Facebook

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Elon Musk
Musk in 2008.
Born	(1971-06-28) June 28, 1971 (age 40) Pretoria, South Africa[1]
Residence	Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
Citizenship	United States[2]
Education	B.S. in Physics and B.A. Economics from University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Engineer, inventor, entrepreneur
Known for	Co-founder of Zip2, PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla Motors
Salary	$1[3]
Net worth	$2 billion (2012)[2]
Title	CEO and CTO of SpaceX, Chairman of SolarCity, CEO of Tesla Motors
Political party	Independent[4]
Spouse	Justine Musk 2000–2008 Talulah Riley 2010–2012
Children	Five sons

Elon Musk (born June 28, 1971) is a South African-born American business magnate, engineer and inventor. He is best known for co-founding SpaceX, Tesla Motors and X.com, which later became Paypal after acquiring the service. He is currently the CEO and Chief Designer of SpaceX, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity. While at those companies, Musk co-designed the first viable electric car of the modern era^[5], the Tesla Roadster, a private successor to the Space Shuttle, Falcon 9/Dragon, and the world's largest Internet payment system, PayPal.

Early life[link]

Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, the son of a Canadian-American mother and a South African father. His maternal grandfather was from Minnesota, and had moved to Saskatchewan, where Musk's mother was born. His father is an engineer and his mother is an author, nutritionist and model, appearing on the cover of New York Magazine in 2011 and a Time Magazine supplement in 2010^[6].

Musk bought his first computer at age 10 and taught himself how to program;^[7] by the age of 12 he sold his first commercial software for about $500, a space game called Blastar.^[7]

After matriculating at Pretoria Boys High School he left home in 1988 at the age of 17, without his parents' support and in part because of the prospect of compulsory service in the South African military: "I don't have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African army suppressing black people just didn't seem like a really good way to spend time".^[7] He wanted to move to the US, saying: "It is where great things are possible".^[8]

In 1992, after spending two years at Queen's University, Elon left Canada, pursuing business and physics at the University of Pennsylvania on a full scholarship. From the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, he received an undergraduate degree, and stayed on another year to finish a second bachelor's degree in physics.^[9] His undergraduate degrees behind him, and drawing inspiration from innovators such as Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla,^[10] Musk then considered three areas he wanted to get into that were "important problems that would most affect the future of humanity", as he said later, "One was the Internet, one was clean energy, and one was space".^[7]

Career[link]

In 1995, Musk went on to a graduate program in applied physics and materials science at Stanford. He stayed two days before dropping out to start Zip2, which provided online content publishing software for news organizations, with his brother Kimbal Musk. In 1999, Compaq's AltaVista division acquired Zip2 for US$307 million in cash and US$34 million in stock options.^[11]

PayPal[link]

In March 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company. One year later, in a 50/50 merger^[12], X.com acquired Confinity^[13], operator of the then largest auction payments service PayPal. Musk was a principal architect behind the purchase, which hinged on his belief in the emerging online-transfer, or “P2P” technology.^[13] Musk believed that the Confinity sub-brand would become the necessary vehicle to incorporate and develop a person-to-person payment platform within X.com.^[13] The combined company at first adopted X.com as the corporate name, but in February 2001, X.com changed its legal name to PayPal Inc. Musk was instrumental in the new PayPal’s focus on a global payment system and departure from the core financial offerings of X.com.^[14]

PayPal’s early growth was due in large part to a successful viral growth campaign created by Musk.^[15] In October 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for US$1.5 billion in stock.^[16] Before its sale, Musk, the company's largest shareholder, owned 11.7% of PayPal's shares.^[17]

SpaceX[link]

Musk with President Obama at the Falcon 9 launch site in 2010

In June 2002, Musk founded his third company, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX),^[18] of which he is currently the CEO and CTO. SpaceX develops and manufactures space launch vehicles with a focus on advancing the state of rocket technology. The company's first two launch vehicles are the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets and its first spacecraft is Dragon^[19].

On 23 December 2008, SpaceX was awarded a $1.6 billion NASA contract for 12 flights of their Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, replacing the Space Shuttle after it retired in 2011. Initially, Falcon 9/Dragon will replace the cargo transport function of the Shuttle and astronaut transport will be handled by the Soyuz. However, SpaceX has designed Falcon 9/Dragon with astronaut transport in mind and the Augustine commission has recommended that astronaut transport be handled by commercial companies like SpaceX.^[20]

Musk views space exploration as an important step in expanding—if not preserving—the consciousness of human life.^[21] Musk has said that multiplanetary life may serve as a hedge against threats to the survival of the human species. "An asteroid or a super volcano could destroy us, and we face risks the dinosaurs never saw: An engineered virus, inadvertent creation of a micro black hole, catastrophic global warming or some as-yet-unknown technology could spell the end of us. Humankind evolved over millions of years, but in the last sixty years atomic weaponry created the potential to extinguish ourselves. Sooner or later, we must expand life beyond this green and blue ball—or go extinct." Musk's goal is to reduce the cost of human spaceflight by a factor of 100. He founded SpaceX with $100 million of his early fortune. He remains chief executive officer and chief technology officer of the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company.

In seven years, SpaceX has designed the family of Falcon launch vehicles and the Dragon multi-purpose spacecraft from the ground-up. In September 2009, SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket became the first privately funded liquid-fueled vehicle to put a satellite into Earth orbit. NASA selected SpaceX to be part of the first program that entrusts private companies to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. This contract, which has a minimum value of $1.6 billion and a maximum value of $3.1 billion, has become a cornerstone of the Space Station's continued access to cargo delivery and return. In addition to these services, SpaceX's goals include simultaneously lowering the price of orbital spaceflight and improving reliability, both by an order of magnitude, while creating the first fully reusable orbital launch vehicle. In the coming years, Musk will focus on delivering astronauts to the International Space Station, but has stated his personal goal of eventually enabling human exploration and settlement of Mars. In a 2011 interview, he said he hopes to send humans to Mars' surface within 10–20 years.^[22]. On May 25, 2012, the SpaceX Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS, making history as the first commercial company to launch and dock a vehicle to the International Space Station.

Tesla Motors[link]

Musk is also co-founder and head of product design at Tesla Motors, where he led development of the Tesla Roadster, the first production electric sports car. Musk's interest in electric vehicles extends long before the creation of Tesla. He originally went to Silicon Valley to do a PhD in Applied Physics and Materials Science at Stanford, where his goal was to create ultracapacitors with enough energy to power electric cars.

Musk provided almost all of the capital for Tesla's first two funding rounds and continued to invest in every subsequent financing round. As a result of the financial crisis in 2008 and a forced layoff at Tesla,^[23] Musk agreed to assume the additional responsibility of CEO.

Tesla Motors previously built an electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster, and has shipped over 2,200 vehicles to 31 countries. Tesla expects to be in production with its four-door Model S sedan by July 2012 and unveiled its third product the Model X, aimed at the SUV/minivan market, on February 9, 2012. Model X is scheduled to begin production in late 2013.

In addition to its own cars, Tesla sells electric powertrain systems to Daimler for the Smart EV and Mercedes A Class, and to Toyota for the upcoming electric RAV4. Musk was also able to bring in both companies as long term investors in Tesla.

Musk is principally responsible for an overarching business strategy that aims to deliver affordable electric vehicles to mass-market consumers. His vision was to create the Tesla Roadster as a means to that end—a car aimed specifically at affluent early adopters, whose purchase of the sports car would subsidize the research and development costs of lower priced models of electric vehicles. From the start of Tesla, Musk has been a champion of the Model S, a four-door family sedan with an anticipated base price of half that of the Roadster. Musk has also favored building a sub-$30,000 subcompact and building and selling electric vehicle powertrain components so that other automakers can produce electric vehicles at affordable prices without having to develop the products in house.^[24] Several mainstream publications have compared him with Henry Ford for his revolutionary work on advanced vehicle powertrains.^[25]

He is reported to have a 29% stake in Tesla, which is currently valued above $1 billion, as of March 2012.^[26][27]

SolarCity[link]

Musk provided the initial concept for SolarCity, where he remains the largest shareholder and chairman of the board. SolarCity is the largest provider of solar power systems in the United States. His cousin Lyndon Rive is the CEO and co-founder.^[28][29] The underlying motivation for funding both SolarCity and Tesla is to help combat global warming.^[30]

Philanthropy[link]

Musk is Chairman of the Musk Foundation, which focuses its philanthropic efforts on science education, pediatric health and clean energy. He is a trustee of the X Prize Foundation, promoting renewable energy technologies. He sits on the boards of The Space Foundation, The National Academies Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, The Planetary Society, and Stanford Engineering Advisory Board. Musk is also a member of the board of trustees of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

In 2010, Musk began a multi-million dollar program through his foundation to donate solar power systems for critical needs in disaster areas. The first such solar power installation occurred on a hurricane response center in Alabama that had been neglected by state and federal aid. To make it clear that this was not serving Musk's commercial interests, SolarCity noted that it had no present or planned business activity in Alabama.^[31]

In 2001, Musk had plans for a "Mars Oasis" project, which would land a miniature experimental greenhouse on Mars, containing food crops growing on Martian regolith.^[32][33] He put this project on hold when he came to the conclusion that the fundamental problem preventing humanity from becoming a true spacefaring civilization was the lack of advancement in rocket technology. He has sought to address this by founding SpaceX to create revolutionary new interplanetary rockets.

His long term goal is to help humanity through SpaceX by creating a true spacefaring civilization.^[34] Musk's philosophy and description of what is needed to solve the problem are provided in the IEEE podcast "Elon Musk: a founder of Paypal, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX"^[35] and article "Risky Business."^[33]

In April 2012 Musk joined The Giving Pledge, offering a moral commitment to donate the majority of his fortune to philanthropy.^[36] Musk became a member of the campaign first popularized by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates with a class of 12 of America’s wealthiest families and individuals, which included Arthur Blank and Michael Moritz.^[36]

Awards and recognition[link]

Listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 people who most affect the world in 2010. Jon Favreau, director of the Iron Man movies, describes in his article how Musk was the inspiration for Favreau's film depiction of genius billionaire Tony Stark.^[37]

The world governing body for aerospace records, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, presented Musk in 2010 with the highest award in air & space, the FAI Gold Space Medal, for designing the first privately developed rocket to reach orbit. Prior awardees include Neil Armstrong, Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites and John Glenn.

Named as one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century by Esquire magazine.^[21]

In June 2011, Musk was awarded the $500,000 Heinlein Prize for Advances in Space Commercialization^[38]

In February 2011, Forbes listed Musk as one of "America's 20 Most Powerful CEOs 40 And Under".^[39]

Recognized as a Living Legend in Aviation in 2010 by the Kitty Hawk Foundation for creating the successor to the Space Shuttle (Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft). Other awardees include Buzz Aldrin and Richard Branson.^[40]

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George Low award for the most outstanding contribution in the field of space transportation in 2007/2008. Musk was recognized for his design of the Falcon 1, the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to reach orbit.^[41]

National Space Society's Von Braun Trophy in 2008/2009, given for leadership of the most significant achievement in space. Prior recipients include Burt Rutan and Steve Squyres.^[42]

National Wildlife Federation 2008 National Conservation Achievement award for Tesla Motors and SolarCity. Other 2008 awardees include journalist Thomas Friedman, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and Florida Governor Charlie Crist.^[43]

The Aviation Week 2008 Laureate for the most significant achievement worldwide in the space industry.^[44]

R&D Magazine Innovator of the Year for 2007 for SpaceX, Tesla and SolarCity.^[45]

Automotive Executive of the Year (worldwide) in 2010 for demonstrating technology leadership and innovation via Tesla Motors. Prior awardees include Bill Ford Jr, Bob Lutz, Dieter Zetsche and Lee Iacocca. Musk is the youngest ever recipient of this award.^[46]

Inc Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year award for 2007 for his work on Tesla and SpaceX.^[47]

2007 Index Design award for his design of the Tesla Roadster.^[48]

Global Green 2006 product design award for his design of the Tesla Roadster, presented by Mikhail Gorbachev.^[49]

Honorary doctorate in design from the Art Center College of Design ^[50]

Musk is a Director of the Planetary Society, a Trustee of The X-Prize Foundation and a member of the Stanford University Engineering Advisory Board. He has previously served as a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board.^[51]

In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Musk was ranked as the #10 (tied with rocketry pioneer and scientist Wernher von Braun) most popular space hero.^[52]

In 2010, Musk was elected to the board of trustees of the California Institute of Technology.^[53]

In 2011, Musk was honored as a Legendary Leader at the Churchill Club Awards.^[54]

Interests[link]

Musk has described himself as a workaholic who routinely invests 100 hours per week in running Tesla Motors and SpaceX, often flying in a fuel-efficient corporate jet.^[55]

The SpaceX factory was used as a shooting location for Iron Man 2 and Musk has a cameo in the movie.^[56] In addition, Jon Favreau, director of the Iron Man movies, describes in his article how Musk was the inspiration for Favreau's film depiction of genius billionaire Tony Stark.^[37]

Musk previously owned and later sold a McLaren F1 sports car and a Czech made jet trainer aircraft Aero L-39.^[57] The 1994 model Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft used in the film Thank You for Smoking is registered to Musk (N900SX). Musk executive-produced the film and had a small cameo role as the pilot.^[58]

Family[link]

Musk lives in Bel-Air, California. He recently ended a four year relationship with his second wife, British actress Talulah Riley.^[59] Musk has five sons with his first wife, the Canadian-born author Justine Musk, whom he met while both were students at Queen's University and whom he married in 2000.^[60]

Musk's sister Tosca is the founder of Musk Entertainment and producer of various movies.^[61][62] Musk himself was the executive producer of her first movie, called Puzzled.^[63] His brother Kimbal is the CEO of a social search company OneRiot and owner of The Kitchen restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.^[64]

Controversies[link]

In October 2008, after Musk had confirmed an earlier report^[65] that Tesla Motors had only $9 million in cash,^[66] he was reported to have hired an outside IT contractor to go through all of the company's email and instant messages, then had a forensic investigator lift fingerprints from a printout discarded near a copier used to leak the email. The email implicated employee Peng Zhou as the source of the company's reported financial status. Zhou had sought to frame other employees at Tesla by claiming in his leaked emails that he was a four-year employee. Musk offered Zhou the option of apologizing to the company and resigning, which he did, rather than face prosecution.^[67]

On May 26, 2009, former Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard filed suit in San Mateo County, California, against Tesla Motors and Musk for slander, libel, and breach of contract. The case hinged on the question of who could rightly be called a "founder" of Tesla.^[68] On July 29, 2009, a San Mateo County Superior Court judge struck down a claim by Eberhard, who asked to be declared one of only two founders of the company.^[68] Tesla said in a statement that the ruling is "consistent with Tesla's belief in a team of founders, including the company's current CEO and Product Architect Elon Musk, and Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel, who were both fundamental to the creation of Tesla from inception."^[69] In early August, Eberhard withdrew the case.^[70] The parties reached a final settlement on September 21. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but the agreement includes a provision that the parties will consider Eberhard, Musk, JB Straubel, Marc Tarpenning, and Ian Wright to be the five co-founders.^[71]

References[link]