SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, aims to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars. The company has developed the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy rockets, along with the Dragon spacecraft for cargo and crew missions to the International Space Station (ISS). In 2020, SpaceX successfully launched NASA astronauts to the ISS, marking the first crewed orbital launch from the U.S. since the retirement of the Space Shuttle. The company is also developing the Starship for deep space missions and the Starlink project for global high-speed internet coverage. With contracts from NASA and other clients, SpaceX is a major player in commercial space exploration, alongside Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.