Acquisition
Aug 2021Acquired Swarm Technologies, according to Crunchbase.
SourceCompany research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Aug 5, 2026
Overview
SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) is a vertically integrated space, connectivity, and—by 2026—AI infrastructure company whose mission is to make humanity multiplanetary. Its businesses span reusable launch vehicles, spacecraft, satellite broadband, defense connectivity, and orbital/terrestrial AI compute.
Primary product
Integrated space transportation and connectivity platform: Falcon launch services, Starship, Dragon, Starlink satellite broadband, and Starshield; AI compute is an emerging business.
Founded
2002
Headquarters
Hawthorne, California, United States
Team size
Unknown; public estimates vary and no authoritative current figure was located.
Work style
Onsite
Industry
Aerospace and defense
Sub-industry
Reusable launch services, human spaceflight, satellite communications, defense space systems, and AI compute
Offices
Hawthorne, California
Starbase, Texas
Bastrop, Texas
Redmond, Washington
McGregor, Texas
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Vandenberg, California
Palo Alto, California
Washington, DC
Memphis, Tennessee
Business model
Commercial and government launch contracts
Starlink consumer, enterprise, aviation, maritime, and government subscriptions
Funding
Stage
Late-stage private / recently public following a June 2026 IPO (per contemporaneous reporting); historical private funding data is inconsistent across databases.
Total raised
$11.9B
Latest round
Series J · Mar 2026
Mar 2026 · Jetstream Venture Fund
Apr 2024
People & investors
Leadership
Elon Musk
Chief Executive Officer
Gwynne Shotwell
President and Chief Operating Officer
Bret Johnsen
Chief Financial Officer
Founders
Tom Mueller
Founding employee; former Vice President of Propulsion Engineering
Work & culture
Mission-driven, highly engineering-oriented, and meritocratic; SpaceX emphasizes hard work, first-principles problem solving, rapid execution, and direct impact on space and connectivity programs. The careers material does not establish a remote-work culture and listed roles are generally tied to physical sites.
Work style
Onsite
Compensation
Official careers information confirms competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and equity packages. Individual compensation varies by role and location; no reliable company-wide range was established.
Benefits
Competitive salaries
Comprehensive health benefits
Equity packages
Product & market
Pricing
Contract and negotiated pricing for launches, spacecraft, and government/enterprise services; subscription pricing for Starlink. SpaceX lists a target Starship commercial cargo price of $100 million per metric ton for lunar/Mars missions targeted for 2028 or later.
Differentiators
- —Reusable launch hardware and high launch cadence
- —Vertical integration across design, manufacturing, launch, satellites, terminals, and operations
- —Starlink scale and global low-latency coverage
- —Ability to use launch capability to deploy and expand its own connectivity network
- —Integrated space, connectivity, and AI infrastructure
- —Mission-driven engineering talent and rapid iteration
Technology
Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
Approximately $15–16 billion for 2025, based on Reuters reporting; Q2 2026 revenue was $7.8 billion and management projected a $100 billion annualized run-rate by year-end, which is a forecast rather than realized annual revenue.
Signals & risks
Acquisition
Feb 2026Reuters reported that SpaceX acquired xAI, combining the space and connectivity business with xAI's models, data centers, and X platform; the transaction materially increases execution, capital-intensity, and governance complexity.
SourceOther
Aug 2026Q2 2026 capital expenditures reached about $18.4 billion, heavily concentrated in AI infrastructure; the company reported a $541 million quarterly loss and shares fell after earnings, highlighting spending and profitability risk.
Latest news
TechCrunch · Aug 2026
Q2 2026 revenue reached $7.8 billion, up 92% year over year; growth came from Starlink and AI compute, while the company reported a $541 million loss and very high capital spending.
CNN Business · Aug 2026
The first earnings report highlighted strong revenue but continuing losses, $18.4 billion of Q2 capex, and investor concern over the scale of AI investment.
SpaceNews · Aug 2026
SpaceX said Starship Flight 14 could attempt the first orbital flight by the end of August, deploy Starlink V3 satellites, and attempt an upper-stage catch subject to approval.
CNBC · Aug 2026
The company reported 12 million Starlink subscribers, plans for standalone Starlink Mobile in 2027, Nvidia-based AI data centers, and a proposed $60 billion Cursor acquisition.
Open Positions
1000 jobs at SpaceX
Design Reliability Engineer (Falcon & Dragon)
On-site
Falcon Engineering
Hawthorne, CA
Today
On-site
Full-time