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Making History
SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.
15
May
2015
Pad Abort Test
Crew Dragon tests launch abort system, which can provide astronauts with escape capability all the way to orbit.
January
2015
Drone Ship Landings
SpaceX begins series of first-stage landing attempts on an autonomous spaceport
drone ship.
14
September
2014
Spacex Awarded $2.6b Commercial Crew Contract
NASA awards SpaceX contract to fly American astronauts.
June
2014
Falcon 9 Reusable Test Vehicle Flies 1000M
Vehicle completes highest leap to date, lands safely.
April
2014
First Stage Landing
Falcon 9 first stage successfully lands in Atlantic Ocean.
13
December
2013
First Flight of Falcon 9 to GTO
Falcon 9 reaches Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
October
2013
Grasshopper Completes Half-mile Flight
The Grasshopper program finished with a 744m flight, hover, and landing.
12
May
2012
Dragon Visits Station
Dragon becomes the first private spacecraft in history to visit the space station.
10
December
2010
Dragon Returns from Earth Orbit
On December 8, 2010, Dragon became the first privately developed spacecraft in history to re-enter from low-Earth orbit.
June
2010
Falcon 9 First Flight
Met 100% of mission objectives on the first flight!
09
July
2009
Falcon 1 Flight 5 Makes History
Falcon 1 Flight 5 makes history, becoming the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to deliver a commercial satellite to Earth orbit
Advancing the Future
Under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA, SpaceX will fly numerous cargo resupply missions to the ISS, for a total of at least 12 —and in the near future, SpaceX will carry crew as well. Dragon was designed from the outset to carry astronauts and now, under a $440 million agreement with NASA, SpaceX is making modifications to make Dragon crew-ready. SpaceX is the world’s fastest-growing provider of launch services. Profitable and cash-flow positive, the company has nearly 50 launches on its manifest, representing close to $5 billion in contracts. These include commercial satellite launches as well as NASA missions.
Currently under development is the Falcon Heavy, which will be the world’s most powerful rocket. All the while, SpaceX continues to work toward one of its key goals—developing reusable rockets, a feat that will transform space exploration by delivering highly reliable vehicles at radically reduced costs.