Elon Musk Is Getting SpaceX Closer to Mars, One Rocket at a Time

Elon Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. in 2002 to “revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.” Eight years later, SpaceX introduced the Falcon 9 , a two-stage rocket designed for reusability. The rocket can carry commercial payloads as well as the SpaceX-made Dragon capsule , a recyclable spacecraft that has been ferrying supplies to the International Space Station since 2012.

SpaceX began launching commercial satellites in 2013—to both low-earth orbit , the first 100 to 1,200 miles of space, and geostationary transfer orbit , about 22,000 miles above the earth. The company has since sent a satellite into deep space and hit key milestones toward its goal of reducing launch costs by reusing capsules and rockets. Early attempts to recover boosters at sea ended in explosions . Subsequent recovery missions, however, have been successful, both at sea and on land .

This year alone, SpaceX has successfully relaunched a recycled Falcon 9 , sent a used Dragon capsule back to the space station, deployed a confidential payload for the U.S. military and now is preparing for the next major step—test flying its new rocket, dubbed the Falcon Heavy .

Below, see every Falcon 9 launch to date and other major achievements along the way.