Elon Musk, Chairman and CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), addressed the Florida Space Authority’s Board of Supervisors, chaired by Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, at its recent quarterly meeting.
SpaceX will be utilizing the State of Florida’s Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for the launches of its Falcon rocket.
“Elon Musk is a welcomed addition to Florida’s aerospace industry. He is a pathfinder who is revitalizing an industry by breaking down the barriers in the commercial launch market," said Lt. Gov. Jennings. "Florida is the world's premier location for aerospace business and we are a perfect match for Space X's cutting edge approach. We look forward to this long-term relationship with Mr. Musk and his company."
SpaceX, located in El Segundo, California, is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to substantially reduce the cost of reliable access to space. The company's initial rocket, named Falcon, is being offered for $6 million per flight to orbit - less than one-third the cost of currently available options. The Falcon is a two stage, liquid oxygen and kerosene-powered rocket capable of placing half a ton into low Earth orbit in the basic configuration and one and a half tons with strap-on liquid boosters.
“Elon Musk is a space industry visionary,” said Capt. Winston Scott, Executive Director at Florida Space Authority. “He has proven his entrepreneurial spirit and success through his Internet business ventures.” Capt. Scott was recently appointed executive director and begins his new position at the Authority in July 2003.
SpaceX is the third company founded by Musk, a successful Internet entrepreneur. Musk, who co-founded the popular online payment service, PayPal(TM), and enterprise software company Zip2 Corp., founded SpaceX in June 2002 with the goal of developing launch vehicles that will set new benchmarks for reliable and low-cost access to space.
Photo Caption: Elon Musk stands in front of Florida Space Authority’s Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In foreground is a Newsweek magazine photographer taking a photo of Musk for an upcoming feature story.
