Elon Reeve Musk FRS (/ˈiːlɒn/; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman and investor known for his key roles in the space company SpaceX and the automotive company Tesla, Inc. Other involvements include ownership of X Corp., the company that operates the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), and his role in the founding of The Boring Company, xAI, Neuralink, and OpenAI. He is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world; as of August 2024 Forbes estimates his net worth to be US$247 billion.[3]

Musk was born in Pretoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretoria)) to Maye](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maye_Musk)) (née](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_name#Maiden_and_married_names)) Haldeman), a model, and Errol Musk, a businessman and engineer. Musk briefly attended the University of Pretoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pretoria)) before immigrating to Canada at the age of 18, acquiring citizenship through his Canadian-born mother. Two years later he matriculated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriculation)) at Queen's University at Kingston](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_University_at_Kingston)) in Canada. Musk later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pennsylvania)) and received bachelor's degrees](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor%27s_degree)) in economics and physics. He moved to California in 1995 to attend Stanford University,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University),) but dropped out after two days and, with his brother Kimbal,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbal_Musk),) co-founded the online city guide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_guide)) software company Zip2.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip2).) The startup was acquired by Compaq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq)) for $307 million in 1999. That same year Musk co-founded X.com,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X.com_\(bank\)),) a direct bank.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_bank).) X.com merged with Confinity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confinity)) in 2000 to form PayPal.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal).) In October 2002, eBay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay)) acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion. Using $100 million of the money he made from the sale of PayPal, Musk founded SpaceX, a spaceflight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight)) services company, in 2002.

In 2004, Musk was an early investor who provided most of the initial financing in the electric-vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle)) manufacturer Tesla Motors, Inc. (later Tesla, Inc.), assuming the position of the company's chairman. He later became the product architect and, in 2008, the CEO. In 2006, Musk helped create SolarCity,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SolarCity),) a solar energy company that was acquired by Tesla in 2016 and became Tesla Energy.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Energy).) In 2013, he proposed a hyperloop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop)) high-speed vactrain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain)) transportation system. In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI, a nonprofit artificial intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence)) research company. The following year Musk co-founded Neuralink—a neurotechnology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotechnology)) company developing brain–computer interfaces—and](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interfaces)—and) The Boring Company, a tunnel construction company. In 2018 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission)) (SEC) sued Musk, alleging that he had falsely announced that he had secured funding for a private takeover of Tesla. To settle the case Musk stepped down as the chairman of Tesla and paid a $20 million fine. In 2022, he acquired Twitter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquisition_of_Twitter_by_Elon_Musk)) for $44 billion, merged the company into the newly-created X Corp. and rebranded the service as X the following year. In March 2023, Musk founded xAI, an artificial-intelligence company.

Musk has expressed views](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Views_of_Elon_Musk)) that have made him a polarizing figure.[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-Trouble-4)) He has been criticized for making unscientific and misleading statements, including COVID-19 misinformation,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Views_of_Elon_Musk#COVID-19_pandemic),) promoting right-wing conspiracy theories,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory),) and "endorsing an antisemitic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism)) theory";](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theories)";) he later apologized for the latter.[5][4][6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-5)[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-Trouble-4)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-6)) His ownership of Twitter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_under_Elon_Musk)) has been similarly controversial given the layoffs of large numbers of employees, an increase in hate speech,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_under_Elon_Musk#Increase_in_hate_speech),) misinformation and disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_under_Elon_Musk#Misinformation_and_disinformation)) posts on the website, and changes to Twitter Blue verification.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Blue_verification_controversy).)

The Buran programme (Russian: Буран, IPA: [bʊˈran], "Snowstorm", "Blizzard"), also known as the "VKK Space Orbiter programme" (Russian: ВКК «Воздушно-Космический Корабль», lit. 'Air and Space Ship'),[1] was a Soviet and later Russian reusable spacecraft project that began in 1974 at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute in Moscow and was formally suspended in 1993.[2] In addition to being the designation for the whole Soviet/Russian reusable spacecraft project, Buran was also the name given to orbiter 1K, which completed one uncrewed spaceflight in 1988 and was the only Soviet reusable spacecraft to be launched into space. The Buran-class orbiters used the expendable Energia rocket as a launch vehicle.

The Buran programme was started by the Soviet Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union)) as a response to the United States Space Shuttle program[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_program)[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_programme#cite_note-3)) and benefited from extensive espionage undertaken by the KGB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KGB)) of the unclassified US Space Shuttle program,[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_programme#cite_note-NBC_News-4)) resulting in many superficial and functional similarities between American and Soviet Shuttle designs.[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_programme#cite_note-Discover_Magazine-5)) Although the Buran class was similar in appearance to NASA's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA)'s) Space Shuttle orbiter,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter),) and could similarly operate as a re-entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re-entry)) spaceplane,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceplane),) its final internal and functional design was different. For example, the main engines during launch were on the Energia rocket and were not taken into orbit by the spacecraft. Smaller rocket engines on the craft's body provided propulsion in orbit and de-orbital burns, similar to the Space Shuttle's OMS pods.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Orbital_Maneuvering_System).) Unlike the Space Shuttle whose first orbital spaceflight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-1)) was accomplished in April 1981, Buran, whose first and only spaceflight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Buran_missions)) occurred in November 1988, had a capability of flying uncrewed missions, as well as performing fully automated landings. The project was the largest and the most expensive in the history of Soviet space exploration.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_exploration).)

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from the 1969 plan led by U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development, as nuclear shuttle in the plan was cancelled.[7]: 163–166 [8]

The first (STS-1)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-1))) of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights (STS-5)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-5))) beginning in 1982. Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. They launched from the Kennedy Space Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center)) (KSC) in Florida.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida).) Operational missions launched numerous satellites,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite),) interplanetary probes,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_probe),) and the Hubble Space Telescope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope)) (HST), conducted science experiments in orbit, participated in the Shuttle-Mir program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle%E2%80%93Mir_program)) with Russia, and participated in the construction and servicing of the International Space Station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station)) (ISS). The Space Shuttle fleet's total mission time was 1,323 days.[9]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle#cite_note-ShuttleByNumbers-10))

Space Shuttle components include the Orbiter Vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter)) (OV) with three clustered Rocketdyne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocketdyne)) RS-25](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-25)) main engines, a pair of recoverable solid rocket boosters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Solid_Rocket_Booster)) (SRBs), and the expendable external tank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_external_tank)) (ET) containing liquid hydrogen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_hydrogen)) and liquid oxygen.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_oxygen).) The Space Shuttle was launched vertically,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeoff_and_landing),) like a conventional rocket, with the two SRBs operating in parallel with the orbiter's three main engines,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-25),) which were fueled from the ET. The SRBs were jettisoned before the vehicle reached orbit, while the main engines continued to operate, and the ET was jettisoned after main engine cutoff and just before orbit insertion,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_insertion),) which used the orbiter's two Orbital Maneuvering System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Orbital_Maneuvering_System)) (OMS) engines. At the conclusion of the mission, the orbiter fired its OMS to deorbit and reenter the atmosphere.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_reentry).) The orbiter was protected during reentry by its thermal protection system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_protection_system)) tiles, and it glided](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_glider)) as a spaceplane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceplane)) to a runway landing, usually to the Shuttle Landing Facility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Landing_Facility)) at KSC, Florida, or to Rogers Dry Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Dry_Lake)) in Edwards Air Force Base,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_Air_Force_Base),) California. If the landing occurred at Edwards, the orbiter was flown back to the KSC atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Carrier_Aircraft)) (SCA), a specially modified Boeing 747](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747)) designed to carry the shuttle above it.

The first orbiter, Enterprise,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Enterprise),) was built in 1976 and used in Approach and Landing Tests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approach_and_Landing_Tests)) (ALT), but had no orbital capability. Four fully operational orbiters were initially built: Columbia,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia),) Challenger,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger),) Discovery,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Discovery),) and Atlantis.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Atlantis).) Of these, two were lost in mission accidents: Challenger in 1986](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster)) and Columbia in 2003,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster),) with a total of 14 astronauts killed. A fifth operational (and sixth in total) orbiter, Endeavour,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour),) was built in 1991 to replace Challenger. The three surviving operational vehicles were retired from service following Atlantis's final flight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-135)) on July 21, 2011. The U.S. relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_\(spacecraft\))) to transport astronauts to the ISS from the last Shuttle flight until the launch of the Crew Dragon Demo-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crew_Dragon_Demo-2)) mission in May 2020.

Falcon Heavy is composed of three reusable Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft. As one of the world’s most powerful operational rockets, Falcon Heavy can lift nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 lbs) to orbit.

Overview

HEIGHT70 m / 229.6 ftWIDTH12.2 m / 39.9 ftMASS1,420,788 kg / 3,125,735 lbPAYLOAD TO LEO63,800 kg / 140,660 lbPAYLOAD TO GTO26,700 kg / 58,860 lbPAYLOAD TO MARS16,800 kg / 37,040 lb

Unmatched Performance

With more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, Falcon Heavy is one of the most capable rockets flying. By comparison, the liftoff thrust of the Falcon Heavy equals approximately eighteen 747 aircraft at full power. Falcon Heavy can lift the equivalent of a fully loaded 737 jetliner—complete with passengers, luggage and fuel—to orbit.

NGINES

Merlin

SEA LEVEL| VACUUM

Merlin is a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. Merlin engines use RP-1 and liquid oxygen as rocket propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. The Merlin engine was originally designed for recovery and reuse.