62.5k views
0 votes
Explain the history of SpaceX and its space shuttle.​

2 Answers

4 votes

Answer:

SpaceX, in full Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, American aerospace company founded in 2002 that helped usher in the era of commercial spaceflight. It was the first private company to successfully launch and return a spacecraft from Earth orbit and the first to launch a crewed spacecraft and dock it with the International Space Station (ISS). Headquarters are in Hawthorne, California.

SpaceX was formed by entrepreneur Elon Musk in the hopes of revolutionizing the aerospace industry and making affordable spaceflight a reality. The company entered the arena with the Falcon 1 rocket, a two-stage liquid-fueled craft designed to send small satellites into orbit. The Falcon 1 was vastly cheaper to build and operate than its competitors, a field largely populated by spacecraft built by publicly owned and government-funded companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Part of the rocket’s cost-effectiveness was made possible by the SpaceX-developed Merlin engine, a cheaper alternative to those used by other companies. SpaceX also focused on making reusable rockets (other launch vehicles are generally made for one-time use).

Step-by-step explanation:

User Coyod
by
8.0k points
3 votes

Answer:

SpaceX was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur and engineer Elon Musk to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

The aim of SpaceX is to make space travel more accessible and affordable, while also advancing rocket technology. In 2012, they became the first private company to send a spacecraft to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

In 2015, they launched their first unmanned flight of the Falcon 9 rocket, which was an immense success. This was the first time a private company had achieved such a feat of launching its own rocket into Earth's orbit.

Since then, SpaceX has continued to make enormous strides in the space industry. In 2017, they became the first company to reuse a rocket for a second launch. This marked a significant milestone as it meant that SpaceX could reduce costs and benefit from increased efficiency.

In 2020, SpaceX launched a Crew Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronauts to the ISS, making them the first private company to achieve human spaceflight.

SpaceX is currently developing a new type of space shuttle called Starship, which is set to launch on its first mission later this year. The Starship is designed to be fully reusable and will be able to transport up to 100 passengers and payloads to deep space destinations.

User Garbee
by
8.4k points