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SpaceX is estimated at about $ 400 billion and is crucial for space access access, but this is not always the power plant.
Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. Using the money he earned from the sale of PayPal, Moscow and his new company developed his first Falcon 1 missile to challenge existing launch suppliers.
“In fact there was a lot of startup -erocosmic companies that sought to take this market. They admitted that we had a monopoly supplier called United Start Alliance. They have united with Boiling and Lockheed The early launch of the missile for one company, and they blamed the government hundreds of millions for launching satellites, “said Laurie Garver, a former NASA Administrator.
In 2003, Musk Paradise Falcon 1 on Washington streets, hoping to draw the attention of government agencies and the multimillion -dollar contracts they proposed. This worked, and in 2004 SpaceX provided several million dollars from the advanced defense or DARPA research projects, as well as the US Air Force for further development of its missiles.
Despite the government’s support, the company fought. The first three launches of Falcon 1 were unable to reach orbit.
“NASA, and, in particular, the original commercial freight contract, is what saved the company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy,” said Chris Quilti, president and co-chairman of Cuilty Space, a space research firm.
NASA rewarded a $ 1.6 billion contract known as Commercial Spacex Restart Services in 2008, only a few months after the first successful Falcon 1 flight. The contract urged Spacex to use its new falcon missile, as well as its Dragon capsule for cargo crossing. In 2014, SpaceX won another NASA $ 2.6 billion contract for developing and driving vehicles for the astronauts ferry and from the international space station.
Today, SpaceX prevails in most of the space market from launching to satellites. In 2024, SpaceX conducted a record 134 orbital launch, which twice higher than the number of launches made by the next most prolific launch provider, China Aerospace Science Corporation, reports the Brycetech scientific and technology consulting firm. These 134 launches accounted for 83% of all spacecraft launched last year. According to the July report from BloombergSpaceX was estimated at $ 400 billion.
Dragon Capsule and Falcon 9 capsule is the main remedy by which NASA launches astronauts and materials at the International Space Station. Starlink satellites have become necessary to provide Internet access for remote areas as well as US allies in wartime. Starship missile, though still in testing, is also key for the US plan to return to the moon. SpaceX also builds a network of spy satellites for the US government called Starshield as part of a $ 1.8 billion contract. Even competitors, including Amazon and Oneweb, launched their companions on SpaceX Rockets.
“The ecosystem of space is changing, it really is SpaceX,” Garver said. “The lower cost of space access is what we dreamed of. It has created a whole community of companies around the world that now have access to space.”
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