SpaceX Timeline
From Falcon 1 on Kwajalein to reusable Falcon boosters, crewed Dragon flights, Starlink and Starship.
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Key events
SpaceX founded
Elon Musk founds Space Exploration Technologies Corp. in El Segundo, California, with the goal of cutting launch costs and eventually enabling life on Mars.
Falcon 9 announced
SpaceX announces the Falcon 9, a medium-lift rocket with nine Merlin engines on its first stage.
Falcon 1 Flight 1 fails
The first Falcon 1 launches from Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll and is lost about 30 seconds into flight after a fuel leak causes an engine fire.
NASA COTS award
NASA selects SpaceX for its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, funding development of Falcon 9 and the Dragon cargo spacecraft.
Falcon 1 Flight 3 fails at staging
Residual thrust from the first stage causes it to bump the upper stage after separation, losing the rocket and its payloads, including NASA's NanoSail-D.
Falcon 1 reaches orbit
On its fourth attempt Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach Earth orbit, carrying a dummy payload.
Gwynne Shotwell becomes President
Gwynne Shotwell, who joined SpaceX in 2002 to lead business development, becomes President and Chief Operating Officer.
NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract
NASA awards SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract for 12 Dragon cargo flights to the International Space Station.
Falcon 1 launches RazakSAT
The fifth and final Falcon 1 flight places Malaysia's RazakSAT Earth observation satellite in orbit, the rocket's only commercial mission.
Falcon 9 first flight
Falcon 9 reaches orbit on its first launch from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40, carrying a Dragon qualification unit.
Dragon returns from orbit
On the COTS Demo Flight 1 mission, Dragon orbits Earth twice and splashes down in the Pacific, making SpaceX the first private company to recover a spacecraft from orbit.
Dragon berths with the ISS
–Dragon becomes the first commercial spacecraft to berth with the International Space Station, delivering cargo and returning to Earth nine days after launch.
CRS-1 first operational cargo flight
–The first contracted resupply mission reaches the ISS despite a first-stage engine shutdown; a secondary Orbcomm satellite is left in a low orbit.
Falcon 9 v1.1 debuts from Vandenberg
An upgraded, stretched Falcon 9 with Merlin 1D engines launches Canada's CASSIOPE satellite on SpaceX's first launch from California.
First geostationary transfer launch
Falcon 9 delivers the SES-8 communications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit, opening SpaceX to the commercial satellite market.
Launch Complex 39A lease signed
SpaceX signs a 20-year lease with NASA for Kennedy Space Center's historic Launch Complex 39A, used by Apollo and the Space Shuttle.
First controlled ocean touchdown
On the CRS-3 mission, a Falcon 9 first stage flies with landing legs and makes a controlled soft touchdown on the ocean surface.
Dragon V2 unveiled
Elon Musk unveils the crewed version of Dragon, with SuperDraco engines built into its sides for launch escape.
Boca Chica launch site announced
Texas announces that SpaceX will build a commercial launch site at Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, later known as Starbase.
Commercial Crew contract
NASA awards SpaceX a $2.6 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to fly astronauts to the ISS, alongside Boeing.
Satellite internet plan announced
At a private event in Seattle, Elon Musk details a plan for a large satellite internet constellation built from a new SpaceX office nearby, the project that becomes Starlink.
Google and Fidelity invest $1 billion
Google and Fidelity invest a combined $1 billion in SpaceX, valuing the company at about $12 billion.
Dragon 2 pad abort test
A crew Dragon test article fires its SuperDraco engines to escape from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral and lands under parachutes offshore.
Falcon 9 certified for national security launches
The US Air Force certifies Falcon 9 to compete for national security space launches, ending ULA's monopoly.
CRS-7 failure
A Falcon 9 breaks up about two minutes after launch when a failed strut releases a helium tank, destroying the Dragon cargo ship bound for the ISS.
First orbital booster landing
After launching 11 Orbcomm satellites on the first Falcon 9 Full Thrust, the first stage returns and lands at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral.
First droneship landing
On the CRS-8 mission a Falcon 9 first stage lands on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Atlantic.
AMOS-6 pad explosion
A Falcon 9 explodes during fueling for a static fire test at SLC-40, destroying the Israeli AMOS-6 satellite and badly damaging the pad.
Interplanetary Transport System unveiled
At the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Musk presents a giant reusable rocket and spaceship meant to colonize Mars.
Return to flight with Iridium NEXT
Falcon 9 returns to flight after the AMOS-6 explosion, launching the first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg.
First launch from Pad 39A
The CRS-10 mission becomes the first SpaceX launch from Launch Complex 39A, the pad's first use since the Space Shuttle.
First reflight of an orbital booster
A previously flown Falcon 9 first stage launches the SES-10 satellite and lands again; SpaceX also recovers a payload fairing half for the first time.
First national security launch
Falcon 9 launches NROL-76, a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.
First reused Dragon
On CRS-11 a Dragon capsule that previously flew on CRS-4 returns to the ISS, the first reflight of a commercial spacecraft.
BFR unveiled
At the IAC in Adelaide, Musk presents a smaller Mars rocket called BFR and proposes using it for fast point-to-point travel on Earth.
Falcon Heavy first flight
Falcon Heavy debuts from Pad 39A, sending Musk's Tesla Roadster with a mannequin named Starman toward an orbit beyond Mars; both side boosters land in sync.
Starlink test satellites launched
Two prototype Starlink satellites, Tintin A and B, ride along with Spain's PAZ radar satellite from Vandenberg.
Falcon 9 Block 5 debuts
The final Falcon 9 version, designed to fly ten or more times with little refurbishment, launches Bangladesh's Bangabandhu-1 satellite.
dearMoon announced
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is named as the first private passenger to buy a trip around the Moon on SpaceX's future spaceship.
Crew Dragon Demo-1
–Crew Dragon flies uncrewed to the ISS, docking autonomously, then splashes down in the Atlantic six days later.
Falcon Heavy lands all three boosters
Falcon Heavy's first commercial flight launches Arabsat-6A; both side boosters and the center core land, though the core later topples in rough seas.
Crew Dragon explodes in ground test
The Demo-1 capsule is destroyed during a SuperDraco test at Cape Canaveral when a leaking valve lets oxidizer into the propellant system.
First 60 Starlink satellites
Falcon 9 launches 60 Starlink v0.9 satellites in one flat-packed stack, the first large batch of the constellation.
Starhopper 150-meter hop
Starhopper flies to about 150 meters, moves sideways and lands on a nearby pad in its final flight.
First operational Starlink batch
The first 60 Starlink v1.0 satellites launch on a booster's fourth flight, with a reused payload fairing flown for the first time.
Crew Dragon in-flight abort test
Crew Dragon escapes from a Falcon 9 at maximum aerodynamic pressure and parachutes into the Atlantic, clearing the way for crewed flights.
Demo-2: first crewed flight
–NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley fly Crew Dragon Endeavour to the ISS, the first orbital crewed launch from the US since 2011 and the first by a private company.
Starship SN5 150-meter hop
The first full-diameter Starship prototype flies to about 150 meters and lands at Boca Chica.
Starlink public beta
Starlink opens a public beta called Better Than Nothing in the northern US and Canada at $99 a month.
Crew-1
–Four astronauts fly Crew Dragon Resilience to the ISS on the first operational Commercial Crew rotation mission.
Starship SN8 high-altitude flight
SN8 climbs to about 12.5 km, performs a belly-flop descent and flip maneuver, then crashes on landing because of low fuel header tank pressure.
Transporter-1 record rideshare
Falcon 9 launches 143 satellites on SpaceX's first dedicated rideshare mission, a record for a single launch.
Human Landing System contract
NASA selects a lunar version of Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the Moon, awarding SpaceX $2.89 billion.
Starship SN15 lands
SN15 completes a high-altitude flight and lands intact, the first full success of the Starship flight test campaign.
Inspiration4
–Jared Isaacman and three crewmates fly the first all-civilian orbital mission, spending three days in orbit and raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
DART launch
Falcon 9 launches NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, which later strikes the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos to test planetary defense.
Geomagnetic storm downs Starlink satellites
A geomagnetic storm increases atmospheric drag on a freshly launched batch, and about 38 of 49 Starlink satellites reenter.
Starlink activated in Ukraine
Two days after Russia's invasion, Musk says Starlink is active in Ukraine; terminals become important for the country's military and civilian communications.
Axiom-1 private ISS mission
–Axiom Space flies the first all-private crew to the ISS aboard Crew Dragon Endeavour.
Starship Integrated Flight Test 1
The first full Starship and Super Heavy launch from Starbase; several engines fail, stages never separate, and the vehicle is destroyed, heavily damaging the pad.
Psyche launch
Falcon Heavy launches NASA's Psyche spacecraft toward a metal-rich asteroid of the same name.
Starship Flight 2
Using hot staging, all 33 booster engines fire and the stages separate; the booster breaks up afterward and the ship is lost near the end of its burn.
First direct-to-cell Starlink satellites
SpaceX launches its first six Starlink satellites that can connect directly to ordinary mobile phones.
Starship Flight 3
Starship reaches space and tests propellant transfer and a payload door, but is lost during reentry over the Indian Ocean.
Starship Flight 4 splashes down
Both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage make controlled splashdowns for the first time, the ship surviving reentry despite heat shield damage.
ISS Deorbit Vehicle contract
NASA awards SpaceX up to $843 million to build a spacecraft based on Dragon that will steer the ISS into a controlled reentry around 2030.
Falcon 9 upper stage failure
–A liquid oxygen leak causes the upper stage to place 20 Starlink satellites in a too-low orbit; Falcon 9 is briefly grounded before returning to flight.
Polaris Dawn
–Jared Isaacman's crew flies to the highest Earth orbit for humans since Apollo and performs the first commercial spacewalk on September 12.
Crew-9
–Crew-9 launches with two astronauts, leaving seats to bring home the stranded Starliner crew in March 2025; it is the first crewed launch from SLC-40.
Super Heavy booster catch
On Starship Flight 5 the launch tower's mechanical arms catch the returning Super Heavy booster, while the ship makes a targeted splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Europa Clipper launch
Falcon Heavy launches NASA's Europa Clipper, the agency's largest planetary spacecraft, on its way to Jupiter's moon Europa.
Starship Flight 7
The first upgraded Block 2 Starship breaks up over the Caribbean during ascent, though the booster is caught by the tower again.
Starship Flight 8
The ship is lost during ascent for a second time, scattering debris over the Bahamas; the booster is caught again.
Fram2 polar mission
–Chun Wang's privately funded crew flies the first human mission over Earth's poles.
Starbase becomes a city
Residents vote to incorporate Starbase, Texas, the company town around SpaceX's launch site, as a city.
Starship Flight 9
A Super Heavy booster flies for the second time; the ship reaches space but loses attitude control and breaks up during reentry.
Starship Flight 10
Starship deploys mock Starlink satellites, relights a Raptor in space and makes a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
EchoStar spectrum purchase
SpaceX agrees to buy wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar for about $17 billion to expand Starlink's direct-to-cell service.
Starship Flight 11
The last Block 2 Starship flies a full mission profile, with both the booster and ship completing controlled splashdowns.
Orbital data center filing
SpaceX asks the FCC to approve up to 1 million satellites for an orbital data center system; the FCC accepts the filing on February 4.
SpaceX acquires xAI
SpaceX merges with Elon Musk's AI company xAI in an all-stock deal, valuing the combined company at about $1.25 trillion.
Confidential IPO filing
SpaceX confidentially files a draft prospectus for an initial public offering.
Public S-1 filing
SpaceX's IPO registration statement goes public, reporting a 2025 net loss of $4.94 billion on revenue of $18.67 billion.
Starship Flight 12: first Version 3
The first Version 3 Starship (Booster 19, Ship 39) launches from Starbase's new Pad 2; the ship deploys Starlink simulators and splashes down, but the booster crashes into the Gulf of Mexico after a failed boostback.
SpaceX goes public
Priced the day before at $135 a share, the IPO raises $75 billion at a $1.77 trillion valuation; shares start trading on Nasdaq as SPCX and close up about 19% on the first day.
Starship Flight 13
Booster 20 and Ship 40 fly from Pad 2; the ship deploys 20 Starlink V3 satellites and splashes down intact in the Indian Ocean, while the booster makes a hard splashdown.
Cursor acquisition completed
SpaceX completes its purchase of AI coding company Cursor for $60 billion in stock.
Starbase Louisiana announced
SpaceX announces a planned $100 billion spaceport in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, with five launch complexes; construction is set to start in 2027.
Starship Flight 14 reaches orbit
Starship reaches orbit for the first time and deploys 26 Starlink V3 satellites; an engine shutdown cuts the planned six-orbit mission to about three hours, and the ship tips over and explodes after splashing down north of Hawaii.
Grain spectrum purchase
Grain Management agrees to sell SpaceX its nationwide 800 MHz spectrum portfolio, subject to FCC approval.
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