Oct 3rd, 2008 · SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.
Aug 7th, 2008 · A private company called SpaceX has failed three times to reach orbit with one of its rockets. But the company says it's learning from its failures and still hopes to radically decrease the cost of putting objects in space.
Mar 21st, 2007 · The private company Space Exploration Technologies completes a "pretty good test" of a commercial rocket. SpaceX was founded by Internet tycoon Elon Musk, who hopes to dramatically reduce the cost of space flight. David Kestenbaum