SpaceX
Musk explains Starship capabilities to leaders of North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command, and Air Force Space Command in 2019
In 2001, Musk became involved with the nonprofit Mars Society and discussed funding plans to place a growth-chamber for plants on Mars.[79] Seeking a way to launch the greenhouse payloads into space, Musk made two unsuccessful trips to Moscow to purchase intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) from Russian companies NPO Lavochkin and Kosmotras. Musk instead decided to start a company to build affordable rockets.[80] With $100 million of his early fortune,[81] Musk founded SpaceX in May 2002 and became the company's CEO and Chief Engineer.[82][83]
SpaceX attempted its first launch of the Falcon 1 rocket in 2006.[84] Although the rocket failed to reach Earth orbit, it was awarded a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program contract from NASA, then led by Mike Griffin.[85][86] After two more failed attempts that nearly caused Musk to go bankrupt,[84] SpaceX succeeded in launching the Falcon 1 into orbit in 2008.[87] Later that year, SpaceX received a $1.6 billion NASA contract for Falcon 9-launched Dragon spacecraft flights to the International Space Station (ISS), replacing the Space Shuttle after its 2011 retirement.[88] In 2012, the Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS, a first for a commercial spacecraft.[89]