Today marks Elon Musk’s SpaceX twenty years. It has become one of the largest private space companies in the world and has had some major breakthroughs as well. First, SpaceX is the first private company to launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft. It is also the first private company to send astronauts into orbit and to the International Space Station (ISS). It is also trying to build its own satellite internet service with Starlink, which uses “mega-constellations” of small satellites for the same purpose.
We take a look at the major achievements of SpaceX over the past 20 years.
Falcon 1 and NASA
In 2006, NASA awarded Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Contract with SpaceXThe company had to demonstrate cargo delivery capabilities to the International Space Station through a contract option for crew transportation. After several failed launches in 2006 and 2008, SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon 1 launch vehicle on September 28, 2008, making it the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit.
It also became the first to put a commercial satellite into orbit when it deployed the Malaysian RazakSAT satellite in July 2009.
In December 2010, SpaceX’s Dragon reusable spacecraft completed two successful flights that completed all mission objectives of the COTS Demo Flight 1. This made SpaceX the first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover spacecraft.
Dragon C2, the Falcon 9 reusable heavy launch vehicle
In May 2012, the Dragon C2+ became the first spacecraft specifically built to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. SpaceX also began designing prototypes for the Falcon 9, a reusable heavy launch vehicle that same year. The company announced the development of its Starlink service in January 2015, promising to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet to users across terrain.
In 2015, SpaceX also experienced one of its biggest failures when its Falcon 9 exploded just two minutes after launch. But it achieved its first successful sea landing in December 2015 with Falcon 9 Flight 20.
Starlink and launch Tesla into orbit
SpaceX was affected by a second major failure in September 2016 when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded, destroying a satellite payload worth over $200 million.
In February 2018, SpaceX conducted Falcon Heavy test flights launched Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster in Space With a mannequin in a spacesuit sitting in the front. It was the first private spacecraft to be launched into orbit around the sun.
In May 2019, SpaceX launched a constellation of 60 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Crew Dragon, Starship and Inspiration4 quest
SpaceX made history in May 2020 when it became the first private company to send astronauts to the International Space Station after successfully launching two NASA astronauts into orbit aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
In 2021, it broke the record for the most satellites launched in a single mission when it launched 143 satellites on Falcon 1 in January.
On May 5, 2021, the company launched and successfully landed a prototype of its Starship rocket, designed as a reusable transport system that can transport crew and cargo into orbit of the Earth, Moon and Mars.
In September 2021, SpaceX launched the Inspiration4 mission, successfully completing the first orbital spaceflight mission with only private citizens on board. The spacecraft was also the first spacecraft to orbit without any crew members with prior experience since China’s Shenzhou 7 spacecraft in 2008. All of the mission’s crew members received training from SpaceX.
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