Five Interesting Facts About Elon Musk’s SpaceX 

If you have been following the news, you would not have missed when Elon Musk’s SpaceX made history as being the first private organization to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS.)  The entire operation from launch to docking at the ISS has been live streamed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was watched by millions from all over the world.  The live stream might have disappointed a large number of flat earthers as well when the images of Earth’s curvature were live streamed.  Ever since SpaceX was launched in 2002 by Elon Musk, it grew in leaps and bounds to what it is today, one of the premier privately owned space transportation technology companies in the world.  

Let us take a look at some of the interesting facts about SpaceX and the recently launched SpaceX Dragon.

The name Dragon:

The name Dragon was inspired from the fictional “Puff the Magic Dragon,” from the hit song by music group Peter, Paul and Mary.  Musk said he used the name because many critics considered his goals impossible when he founded SpaceX in 2002.

Dragon’s first payload was a wheel of cheese:

The Dragon capsule had its first test flight in 2010 and it carried a wheel of cheese into orbit.  Prior to the flight, SpaceX officials hinted that a special cargo was being carried into space but did not disclose what it was until later when the spacecraft returned back.  The wheel of cheese was launched in honor of a classic skit from actor John Cleese in the British comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Also Read: 5 Companies Founded By Elon Musk That Are Not Tesla

Falcon Rockets named as a pop culture reference

Elon Musk’s love for pop culture references is very well known if you are following him on the micro blogging site Twitter.  The Falcon rockets are used by SpaceX to launch their capsules into orbit.  The name Falcon is after the fictional Millenium Falcon spaceship from George Lucas’ Star Wars movies.  The Falcon is commanded by Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise.

First Company To Reuse Rockets

Unlike most rockets, which are expendable launch systems, since the introduction of the Full Thrust version, Falcon 9 is partially reusable, with the first stage capable of re-entering the atmosphere and landing vertically after separating from the second stage.  This feat was achieved for the first time by SpaceX in December 2015.  A 2011 NASA report “estimated that it would have cost the agency about US $ 4 billion to develop a rocket like the Falcon 9 booster based upon NASA’s traditional contracting processes while “a more ‘commercial development’ approach might have allowed the agency to pay only US $ 1.7 billion (sic.)”

Starlink Project

Starlink is a satellite constellation being constructed by SpaceX  to provide satellite Internet access.  The constellation will consist of thousands of mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), working in combination with ground transceivers.  SpaceX intends to provide satellite internet connectivity to underserved areas of the planet, as well as provide competitively priced service to urban areas. 

Elon Musk will definitely go down in the annals of history as one of the best entrepreneurs to have ever lived with his vision and innovations.  The ultimate goal of Elon Musk’s SpaceX is to send humans to Mars as he believes humans are an interplanetary species.