Caroline cmagazine articlefinal

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Caroline C.

Years ago, NASA stopped their manned missions to the moon. In 2006, it was announced that NASA’s Space Shuttle Program was ending. A manned mission to Mars could be happening, but it would be in the 2030’s. The only name in space exploration seemed to be disappearing. What is SpaceX? However, space missions could not come to a halt. A small, privately-owned company called Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) was able to secure a contract to design a resupply system for the International Space Station. The Falcon 1, their first liquid-fueled rocket succeeded in reaching the ISS in 2008. SpaceX has launched many a rocket since, fulfilling their simply stated description: “SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.” The company has two goals, which are to make spaceflight routine and affordable, and to make humans a multi-planet species. SpaceX manufactures and is experimenting with both the Falcon rockets and the Dragon capsules, both of which may be used in the near future to send crewed flights to the ISS, and potentially, Mars. As of right now, they continue to supply the International Space Station and service the government by providing spacecraft for astronauts going there. As of 2015, SpaceX is headquartered in Florida, and uses the famous Cape Canaveral launch site for many of their launches. They also occupy multiple facilities around the country, including Hawthorne, California, Seattle, Washington, and Rio Grande, Texas. The company employs over 4,000 people, and has achieved a lot of media coverage over the years.

Fun Facts 

Headquarters: Cape Canaveral, Florida

CEO/Founder: Elon Musk

President/COO: Gwynne Shotwell

Year Founded: 2002

Spacecraft: Falcon 9, Dragon


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