2002
Tom Mueller, a rocket engine engineer who had worked at Hughes and TRW, helped Musk build the rocket cost spreadsheet and became SpaceX's engine designer.
“He met this guy named Tom Muller and Tom had worked at Hughes aviation.”
Topic
SpaceX
44 facts from 11 episodes, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.
2002
Space Exploration Technologies was incorporated in June 2002, and eBay bought PayPal for $1.5 billion the following month.
“In June, 2002, they officially incorporate space exploration technologies. And then the very next month in July, 2002, eBay buys PayPal for one and a half billion dollars.”
2006
SpaceX's first Falcon 1 launch, from Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll in March 2006, failed about 25 seconds after liftoff.
“They ignite the Falcon one. It takes off. It starts climbing. Everybody's going nuts. And about 25 seconds in, it blows up.”
2007
The second Falcon 1 launch in March 2007 failed when fuel sloshing in the nearly empty second stage caused wobbling and an air bubble in the engine.
“It was that everything functioned perfectly as it was going up because the fuel tank was mostly full, but then when it got to the second stage”
2008
Founders Fund invested $20 million in SpaceX in summer 2008, funding the fourth Falcon 1 attempt.
“Founders Fund in the summer of 2008 invest $20 million into the company.”
2008
SpaceX achieved its first successful Falcon 1 launch in September 2008, the same month Lehman Brothers collapsed.
“the very next month in September, 2008. Uh, the same month that Lehman Brothers went under, they finally succeed in a launch”
2008
In December 2008 NASA split its commercial resupply contract between two companies, with SpaceX receiving about $1.6 billion for 12 cargo missions.
“They have one there, they're two winners, two companies get the contract, split the contract. SpaceX gets a big part of it. 1.6 billion dollar payment from NASA to fund.”
2012
The first operational Dragon cargo mission reached the International Space Station on May 22, 2012.
“on May 22nd, 2012, the first real dragon mission reaches the ISS.”
2013
The first commercial Falcon 9 launch, carrying several Canadian satellites, took place in September 2013.
“in September, 2013, the first commercial Falcon nine launch takes place.”
2014
In September 2014 NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.6 billion contract to fly astronauts to the ISS, with Boeing winning the second contract.
“in September, 2014, NASA bid out a $2.6 billion contract to, to do this.”
2014
Clemente says SpaceX was one launch failure from collapse until about 2014, when Falcon 9 1.1 flew and orders rose.
“we were always one launch away, one launch failure away from, from losing the company. You know, until probably 2014, once Falcon 9 1.1 flew”
2015
SpaceX first landed a Falcon 9 booster on land in December 2015, after earlier failed attempts at sea.
“they successfully land the first, uh, the first time on, on land in December, 2015.”
2016
SpaceX first landed a Falcon 9 on a drone ship in April 2016, on its 23rd Falcon 9 launch.
“in April, 2016, they successfully land the 23rd Falcon nine launch on a drone ship”
2017
SpaceX flew a reused Falcon 9 booster for the first time in March 2017.
“in 2017, they have the first successful Falcon nine reuse in March of 2017.”
2018
A 2018 NASA audit showed SpaceX had received $7.7 billion in contracts from NASA.
“SpaceX has received $7.7 billion in contracts from NASA for launches”
2018
Falcon Heavy combines three Falcon 9 boosters for 27 engines, and in 2018 it launched a Tesla Roadster.
“So this is three Falcon nine rockets wired together for 27 total engines burning”
2019
The host says that as of May 2019, Elon Musk owned about 54% of SpaceX.
“as of may 2019 elon owned 54 of spacex”
2020
Crew Dragon was scheduled to carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS on May 27, 2020.
“on Wednesday, May 27th, scheduled to bring U S astronauts, Bob Behnken and Colonel Doug Hurley up to the ISS.”
2020
Starlink was planned as a constellation of about 12,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, launched 60 at a time on Falcon 9.
“SpaceX is going to put 1200 satellites up in low earth orbit around the earth. I'm sorry, 12,000 satellites”
2020
The host says SpaceX most recently raised money privately at a $50 billion valuation, versus about $5.2 billion for Virgin Galactic.
“SpaceX most recently raised money in the private markets at $50 billion.”
2020
SpaceX was valued at $36 billion in May 2020, when Acquired recorded its SpaceX episode.
“the company was valued at $36 billion in May of 2020 when we did the episode.”
2024
The hosts say Starlink was estimated to generate $6.5 billion in revenue in 2024.
“They now have Starlink, which is estimated to do $6.5 billion in 2024.”
2026
Tyson says SpaceX had 10,510 satellites in orbit by the time of the recording in mid-2026.
“The last number I saw, SpaceX had 10,510 satellites.”
Undated
Eric Ries says Elon Musk runs SpaceX with regularly scheduled company-driven auctions where people can buy or sell shares.
“There's a regularly scheduled company driven auction where people can buy in or sell.”
Undated
An estimate cited by the host says the commodity cost of aerospace-grade materials is about 2% of a rocket's price.
“it's about 2% of what rockets cost.”
Undated
SpaceX named its first rocket Falcon 1 after the Millennium Falcon, and its engine Merlin after a type of falcon.
“They decide they're going to name this first, um, rocket, the Falcon one after the millennium Falcon, of course.”
Undated
SpaceX flew the Falcon 1 only five times.
“they only ever did five launches of the Falcon one.”
Undated
Developing Falcon 9 and Dragon cost about $400 million of NASA's money and about $450 million of SpaceX's own.
“Developing the sum total, the Falcon 9, which we're about to go into the story of, and the Dragon, that cost about $400 million of NASA's money.”
Undated
A NASA internal estimate put the cost of developing the vehicles in the traditional way at about $4 billion.
“And it basically, what they find is the number is about $4 billion.”
Undated
Josh Clemente says he was one of the first four SpaceX employees to work on the human-rated Dragon life support department.
“I was one of the first four employees who had the opportunity to work in that department.”
Undated
Clemente says SpaceX had about 5,500 people when he left and easily 7,000 at the time of the interview.
“So when I left, it was probably around 5,500 people and it's now, yeah, easily 7,000 and growing.”
Undated
Clemente says SpaceX failed three times to reach orbit with Falcon 1 before succeeding on the fourth attempt.
“SpaceX failed three times to get the Falcon one rocket into orbit. The fourth time it was successful.”
Undated
Brad Stone says Bezos initially kept Blue Origin's investment and team small and started with suborbital flight, while Elon Musk's SpaceX pursued a much bigger effort.
“Bezos was constraining his investment at Blue Origin and wanted to keep the team small and wanted to start with suborbital space.”
Undated
Katherine Boyle says investors long feared SpaceX would not deliver returns, because it was said to destroy three rockets before the fourth worked.
“It's like you destroy three rockets before the fourth actually works.”
Undated
Elon Musk uses an 'idiot index', the ratio of a finished product's cost to the cost of its materials, to find parts that could be made more cheaply.
“I call this the idiot index. How much more does a finished product cost than the cost of its materials?”
Undated
Elon Musk said early SpaceX was burning through about $100,000 a day, and he framed every decision around that burn rate.
“In early SpaceX, I told the team everything we did was a function of our burn rate. We were burning through 100,000 a day.”
Undated
The host said Elon Musk started SpaceX about twenty-four years before this episode, at age thirty, and was mocked as a software guy playing with expensive toys.
“the fact that Elon started it twenty four years ago. He was thirty years old. And everybody made fun of him.”
Undated
Elon Musk said big aerospace companies outsource through layers of subcontractors, and that you must go four or five layers down to find who is doing the actual work.
“You have to go four or five layers down to find somebody actually doing the real work, somebody cutting the metal or shaping the atoms.”
Undated
After three failed launch attempts, Elon Musk emailed the SpaceX team saying there was no question the company would reach orbit, and that the next step was flight four.
“There should be absolutely zero question that SpaceX will prevail in reaching orbit and demonstrating reliable space transport.”
Undated
Elon Musk said early versions of Starship had no doors because doors were unnecessary complexity for the goal of reaching orbit.
“Early versions of Starship didn't even have doors. We didn't need doors. We did need to be super focused on getting to orbit.”
Undated
Elon Musk said SpaceX removed landing legs from its rocket and chose to catch it with mechanical arms on the launch tower, because legs add mass.
“Why not just have it land on the arms of the tower it launches from?”
Undated
About ten years before the talk, Steve Jurvetson told McAfee that SpaceX would provide cheap internet from space, before SpaceX had launched its first Starlink satellite.
“SpaceX is going to bathe the world in abundant, cheap Internet connectivity from space. They had not yet launched their first Starlink satellite.”
Undated
McAfee says SpaceX has crashed many uncrewed rockets because launching without people aboard is a reversible, two-way-door decision.
“SpaceX has launched a lot of rockets, they have and crashed a lot of rockets because they realized that in many ways, launching a rocket is a two way door.”
Undated
The host says Elon Musk founded SpaceX when he was thirty years old.
“Elon founded that company when he was just thirty years old.”
Episodes
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- 6 Jun 2022American Dynamism (with Katherine Boyle)1h 18m
- 27 May 2021Special: Amazon Unbound (with Brad Stone)1h 18m
- 6 Apr 2021Special: "Why Now" for Digital Health (with Levels founder Josh Clemente)1h 28m
- 23 Nov 2020Virgin Galactic1h 48m
- 26 May 2020SpaceX2h 45m
- 30 Dec 2019The Lean Startup and the Long-Term Stock Exchange (with Eric Ries)1h 25m
- 9 Jul 2026Neil deGrasse Tyson On Aliens, Simulation Theory, and What Happens Inside A Black Hole1h 49m
- 19 Apr 2026#417 Arnold Schwarzenegger43m
- 24 Mar 2026#415 How Elon Thinks51m
- 2 Apr 2026Strategy Summit 2026: Who’s Going to Succeed with AI?30m