Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, recently shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) reflecting on the company’s remarkable journey since its inception in 2002. The post, titled “How it started vs How it’s going,” features two contrasting images: one from the early days of SpaceX, showing Musk working in a cluttered lab filled with metal parts and scraps, and another showcasing the impressive launch of the Starship rocket.
This reflection comes after a recent setback during a SpaceX Starship prototype test, where the upgraded Starship experienced a malfunction about eight minutes into the flight. Despite this hiccup, SpaceX’s Starship program has achieved remarkable milestones in recent months.
The fourth test flight on June 6, 2024, saw the Super Heavy booster successfully splash down in the ocean, while the Starship upper stage survived atmospheric reentry, ending in a controlled splashdown. The fifth flight, conducted on October 13, 2024, was another significant success, with the Super Heavy booster being safely caught upon returning to the launch site, and the Starship upper stage completing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. On November 19, 2024, the sixth test flight marked a historic achievement with the first in-space relight of a Raptor engine.
“So truly incredible and amazing…” commented users
Musk’s post has resonated with SpaceX fans and the broader space exploration community, highlighting the company’s journey from a bold vision to make space exploration more affordable to becoming a pioneering force in the aerospace industry. Here are some of the comments
‘So truly incredible and amazing!!! Such beautiful accomplishment again!!’
‘Iterations towards success.’
‘I am so impressed with SpaceX and Elon. I have been watching launches and work on the Starbases and I am amazed by everything and everyone involved in this Space program. Amazing work.’