SpaceX, a company owned by South African born entrepreneur Elon Musk, have just successfully launched a rocket into space.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has been launched in California, the company’s first since an explosion prevented the launch of a similar rocket four months ago.
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. As the first rocket completely developed in the 21st century, Falcon 9 was designed from the ground up for maximum reliability.
The space-craft successfully delivered 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. The 10 satellites are the first of at least 70 satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.
The successful launch marks the seventh time SpaceX has completed landings on a barge or ashore.
SpaceX, which was founded by Tesla chief executive and tech magnate Elon Musk in 2002, is the only private company to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.
Its rockets have delivered supplies to the International Space Station as part of a $1.6bn (£1.31bn) contract with NASA, and the company is dedicated to creating vehicles with reusable parts.
The incredible entrepreneur has stated that the goals of his various businesses revolve around his vision to change the world and humanity.
His goals include reducing global warming through sustainable energy production and consumption, and reducing the “risk of human extinction” by “making life multiplanetary” by setting up a human colony on Mars.
SpaceX plans to host scouting journeys to the red planet to source water supplies, before sending crewed rockets of 12 people complete with equipment to build a base, which would eventually expand into a hospitable city, he said in a speech last October.
The company plans to fly its first unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 2022 and send humans to Mars as early as 2024.
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