Elon Musk: Future of commercial Spaceflight
Elon Musk, founded Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX. His intention with SpaceX was building a commercial space travel industry. In 2008 NASA awarded the company the contract to handle cargo transport for the International Space Station, planning for astronaut transport in the future, as a way to replace NASA’s own shuttle missions. Musk and SpaceX made history on May 22, 2012, when the company launched its Falcon 9 rocket into space with an unmanned capsule. The rocket’s destination was the International Space Station, and it carried 1,000 pounds of supplies to the astronauts stationed there. The Falcon 9 is the first spacecraft a private company has sent to the International Space Station. Space exploration and preservation of the future of the human race became Musk’s cornerstones of interest, which led him to found the Musk Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to space exploration and discovering renewable and clean energy sources.
Elon Musk was born in South Africa and spent his childhood there. He bought his first computer at the age of ten and taught himself how to program. At twelve he made his first software sale- a game he created which he named Blaster. When he was 17 he moved to Canada to attend Queen’s College, but left after three years to study physics and business at the University of Pennsylvania. Musk graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics and continued at the college to attain a second bachelor’s degree in physics. After graduating, Musk went to Stanford to pursue a PhD in energy physics. He moved schools right at the time of the Internet boom, and decided to drop out of Stanford after two days of attending, and launched his first company Zip2 Corporation.
Zip2 Corporation was an online city guide and was soon providing content for the new Web sites of the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. In 1999 a division of Compaq Computer bought Zip2 for $307 million in cash and $34 million in stocks. In 1999 Musk also co-founded X.com, an online financial payment and services company. An acquisition of X.com the very next year led to the creation of PayPal as it is known today. In October 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion worth of stock. Musk, founded his third company, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, in 2002 as well.
Elon Musk was born in South Africa and spent his childhood there. He bought his first computer at the age of ten and taught himself how to program. At twelve he made his first software sale- a game he created which he named Blaster. When he was 17 he moved to Canada to attend Queen’s College, but left after three years to study physics and business at the University of Pennsylvania. Musk graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics and continued at the college to attain a second bachelor’s degree in physics. After graduating, Musk went to Stanford to pursue a PhD in energy physics. He moved schools right at the time of the Internet boom, and decided to drop out of Stanford after two days of attending, and launched his first company Zip2 Corporation.
Zip2 Corporation was an online city guide and was soon providing content for the new Web sites of the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. In 1999 a division of Compaq Computer bought Zip2 for $307 million in cash and $34 million in stocks. In 1999 Musk also co-founded X.com, an online financial payment and services company. An acquisition of X.com the very next year led to the creation of PayPal as it is known today. In October 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion worth of stock. Musk, founded his third company, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, in 2002 as well.