SpaceX
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SpaceX

SpaceX
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) designs, manufactures and launches the world's most advanced rockets and spacecraft. Based in California, it was founded in 2002 by former PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk with the aim of revolutionising space transportation.
Chairman / President
Elon Musk
CEO / Managing Director
Elon Musk
CFO / Finance Director
Bret Johnsen
Industry
Aerospace, Space Transportation
Website
spacex.com
Headquarters address
1 Rocket Road, Hawthorne, California, USA
Year founded
2002
LATEST China Science NEWS

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Zheng Yu, ‘rising star’ in chemical engineering from MIT, quits US for China

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The “Great Dome” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge. Photo: AP Photo

China’s swipe at Starlink; 2,000-year-old ‘computer’: 7 science highlights

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The SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station. Photo: Nasa via AP
United States

Update | Watch astronauts returning to Earth in first medical evacuation from ISS

The crew’s mission on the International Space Station was cut short by over a month.

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SCMP Highlights

China’s swipe at Starlink; 2,000-year-old ‘computer’: 7 science highlights

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Chinese risk study finds space solar power stations could zap satellites

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China stock market

Chinese rocket shares slump after warnings on ‘irrational’ rally

Long-term prospects for sector are ‘very promising’, but market in the short term is ‘mainly driven by speculative sentiment’, analyst says.

A rocket sits in the factory of Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology, a private rocket developer, in Wenchang, in south China’s Hainan province on December 30, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

US moves for AI dominance to outpace China with new ‘overwhelming’ strategy

Pentagon chief urges preventing adversaries from gaining tech edge as he unveils strategy that includes integrating Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok.

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Iran

Iranians use Musk’s Starlink to pierce internet blackout during protests

Smuggled satellite terminals offer a high-risk lifeline as Iran’s protest death toll climbs.

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Science

China applies to put up 200,000 satellites after calling Starlink a crash risk

US Federal Communications Commission says it approved SpaceX to launch 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites.

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Several Chinese firms have applied to the International Telecommunication Union to put internet satellites in space as China and the US in a race to build megaconstellations. Illustration: Shutterstock
China economy

Editorial | Amid rivalry with US, silver can be seen as China’s new industrial leverage

Beijing’s export controls are simply about following the logic of the market and geopolitics in the interest of the nation.

Science

SpaceX will move 4,400 satellites to a lower orbit after China cited safety risk

Starlink’s Michael Nicolls declares ‘significant reconfiguration’ to be coordinated with regulators, other operators and US Space Command.

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SCMP Highlights

China’s record hypergravity machine, Nepal’s ‘bride buying’ probe: 7 highlights

From Beijing defending Taiwan drills to a Chinese snack stall drawing crowds of support, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

A view of the core of the CHIEF1300. The latest CHIEF1900 was built by Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group and shipped to Zhejiang University last week for installation. Photo: Xinhua
Science

China warns satellites from Elon Musk’s Starlink are ‘safety and security’ risk

Beijing tells UN meeting of near misses involving SpaceX satellites and warns they are being used by criminals and terrorists.

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SpaceX aims to build a constellation of more than 42,000 satellites when the Starlink network is complete. Photo: Reuters
IPO

Chinese rocket firm LandSpace moves towards US$1 billion IPO

Listing is the first accepted under a fast-track process for pre-revenue rocket companies, as China prioritises space development.

SCMP Highlights

How China cracked US ‘super code’, health benefits of lard: 7 science highlights

From China building world’s largest smart transformer to health benefits of lard, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

Japan

Can Japan’s space industry regain thrust after H3 rocket failure?

Failure is inevitable, aerospace experts say, so Japan needs to be less afraid of making mistakes and move on.

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Japan’s H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki No 5 satellite lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Centre on Monday. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
Robotics

Editorial | Keep humans in mind as China races ahead in robotics

The focus must be on finding a future where human creativity and robotic efficiency can work together rather than compete.

Unitree robots dance on stage with singer Wang Leehom in Chengdu on December 18. Photo: Handout
China stock market

Launch window opens for China’s space companies as LandSpace advances IPO

LandSpace has completed IPO tutoring with Chinese regulators, putting it a step closer to a Shanghai Star Market listing.

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Second reusable rocket recovery failure in a month puts China 10 years behind US

Chinese state-owned and commercial developers are racing to catch up on a decade of the technology’s deployment.

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TikTok

Exclusive | TikTok owner ByteDance’s valuation hits US$500 billion as US plan advances

Figure marks a record for China’s tech giant, which will divest its US entity into a joint venture that includes Oracle and Silver Lake.

Investors are happy as ByteDance can continue to reap earnings from TikTok in the US, according to a source. Photo: Reuters
United States

German engineer becomes first wheelchair user to blast into space

Michaela Benthaus had thought her dreams of being an astronaut were over after she was badly injured in a mountain bike accident.

Starlink

Foreign ship gets penalty for using Starlink within Chinese waters, report says

Unidentified vessel was found using ‘satellite communication device manufactured by a foreign company’ during inspection at Ningbo port.

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Donald Trump

Trump’s space plan envisages US moon base amid race with China

Trump calls for moon landing in 2028, lunar base thereafter, as China targets the end of the decade for its first crewed landing.

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The Artemis I Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in 2022. Photo: Nasa via AP
China Future Tech briefing

Aerospace | Lunar race pits China against US as humans seek return to moon

China and the US are vying to put people on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years in a contest that is as much about economics and geopolitics as it is about technology.

Lunar race pits China against US as humans seek return to moon
United States

Musk ally Isaacman confirmed as Nasa chief amid moon race with China

The US billionaire with a passion for space, was nominated by Trump for a second time after a previous bid fell through.

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Artificial intelligence

OpenAI in talks to raise US$10 billion from Amazon and adopt Trainium chips

The deal is under discussion could value OpenAI upwards of US$500 billion, a source said.

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Race for AI space centres: why the US goes all in after China makes first move

Beijing and Washington battle for tech domination with next-gen plans to launch supercomputers into orbit and transform global connectivity.

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The push to deploy AI into orbit is a strategic gambit with far-reaching consequences for national security and economic dominance. Photo: Shutterstock
China's space programme

China launches satellite ‘super factory’ in bid to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink

The facility features a ‘factory-to-launch’ pipeline, expected to make it faster and cheaper to build low Earth orbit constellations.

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China’s first comprehensive factory dedicated to the assembly, testing and reuse of carrier rockets, in south China’s coastal city of Wenchang. Photo: People’s Daily
China's space programme

Explainer | Why China’s space sector is grabbing attention – including from Elon Musk

Chinese start-up LandSpace is set to launch its first reusable rocket on Saturday. If it succeeds, it will give China’s space sector a major boost.

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Science

China’s Shenzhou 20 debris crisis: a catalyst for space war – or peace?

Crack in spacecraft window could signal a shift towards greater cooperation between Beijing and Washington over orbital junk, analysts say.

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