Eric Berger: SpaceX and Elon Musk

SpaceX’s rise from an audacious startup to a dominant force in the space industry stems from Elon Musk’s singular, unwavering vision of human settlement on Mars. Unlike traditional aerospace companies that became stagnant bureaucracies, SpaceX maintains a scrappy, innovation-driven culture by prioritizing reusability and securing essential government contracts. While competitors like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic focus on suborbital tourism or lack the same intensity of effort, SpaceX’s development of the Starship vehicle represents a paradigm shift in launch economics. NASA remains a critical partner, providing expertise and funding, yet the future of space exploration increasingly relies on private sector agility to overcome the immense technical and financial risks associated with deep-space missions. Ultimately, the transition toward fully reusable rockets and potential space-based solar power signals a new era of human expansion beyond Earth.