Hyperdrive

Musk Gets Head Start on Bezos Launching SpaceX's Satellites

  • Falcon 9 rocket poised to carry first 60 Starlink satellites
  • Billionaires compete to bring broadband to under-served areas
Elon MuskPhotographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has made a business out of launching satellites for commercial customers, NASA and the U.S. military.

On Thursday evening, the company will launch orbital objects of its own in a key step toward creating a space-based constellation that beams broadband to underserved areas across the globe. It’s a bet Musk is making along with fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos on bringing in revenue as an internet provider from outer space. Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with a goal of colonizing Mars.