Talk:SpaceX/Archive 2

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Public / Private funding for Falcon 9 v1.0 and Dragon Spacecraft
It is clear that private investors bore most of the risk for delays and failures in the Falcon 9 and Dragon development programs. It is also clear that the reusable Falcon 9 v1.2 development was completely funded by SpaceX. It is factually incorrect to ignore the critical (to the financial viability of SpaceX) funding of NASA's COTS and CRS program, especially because as 2017, NASA is the only verified paying customer for such services. When it comes to these NASA programs, we should focus on the competitive execution of these programs that allowed for failed competitors to be replaced with new competitors (such as Orbital ATK. Some more neutrally worded achievements might be

"The first competitive company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft (Falcon 9 Flight 2 — December 9, 2010)" and "The first privately designed spacecraft to reach the International Space Station (Falcon 9 Flight 3 — May 25, 2012)"

I do not understand how to refine the claim that SpaceX is "The first private company to send a satellite into geosynchronous orbit (Falcon 9 Flight 7 — December 3, 2013)," so that it does not apply to the first Atlas V launch by Lockheed Martin, or the Ariane rocket program. The introduction should probably solely make claims about the private funding of the Falcon 9 reusability program and possibly the carbon fiber fuel tanks for the ITS program. If claims of privately funded achievements is necessary, context of the Space_launch_market_competition should be provided. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.134.155.3 (talk) 03:59, 23 December 2017 (UTC)

Doing business as versus trading as
Ten edits following 's changing "doing business as" to "trading as"? Did you even read the article it linked to? The phrase is not generally associated with the stock market. You could have simply referred to the American English template since dba is generally used in the US (while the rest of the English-speaking world uses t/a). nagualdesign 18:46, 30 December 2017 (UTC)


 * I did read the article, but I kept second guessing myself about what wording would be best since I was initially confused by and unfamiliar with "trading name". I even went as far as to look at other corporate wikipedia pages to see what their wording was, but I didn't find anything... Neuralnewt (talk) 19:33, 30 December 2017 (UTC)


 * No worries. Sorry if I came across as a little bitey, I didn't realize you were new around here. Keep up the good work. nagualdesign 20:24, 30 December 2017 (UTC)


 * Nah, it's fine. I didn't take it negatively. I knew that my edits weren't the best thought out, which I hope to get better at. Thanks for being open and upfront! Neuralnewt (talk) 23:28, 30 December 2017 (UTC)


 * If you ever need any pointers feel free to drop a message on my talk page. nagualdesign</b></b> 01:10, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

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Was a fully-operational Falcon Heavy flown?
It is unclear if a fully-operational Falcon Heavy with an actual payload capacity of 140,000 lb was flown. The actual payload was only several thousand pounds. A core first and second stage capable of lifting 140,000 lb would likely be a significant upgrade from the Falcon 9. I cannot find any mention that such an upgraded core was used. Jamesmsnead (talk) 15:21, 9 February 2018 (UTC)

The falcon heavy that we saw launch on 2/6 was a fully operational version. No major upgrades to the hardware were needed other than some structural modifications. The first stage of the falcon heavy basically consists of three falcon 9 rockets, each capable on their own of bringing 50k lbs to low earth orbit. Murdalok (talk) 10:58, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

Revenue
How much revenue does SpaceX generate? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.83.233.57 (talk) 12:12, 8 January 2018 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure there's an absolute answer for that question, at least not one that I can find. Presumably SpaceX's accountants would know: is that sort of thing public knowledge in the USA? There are some back of envelope calculations you can make, though. The number of flights each year are increasing quickly and are listed in the article, and the prices SpaceX charges for launches are published on the company's website for all to see. Chris Jefferies (talk) 22:27, 14 February 2018 (UTC)

Falcon 9 is not the only launch vehicle that is active that uses subcooled propellent
The article states that Falcon 9 is the only vehicle that uses subcooled propellent, however this is not true. The NK33 engine currently used by the Soyuz 2-1v uses subcooled liquid oxygen as well as the now retired Antares 100 series. In addition, the article cites a stackexchange page as its sole citation even though it is incorrect, this should be corrected ASAP as stackexchange should not be used as a reliable source, and in this case is in fact also incorrect. How this highly unreliable citation managed to slip by for so long is beyond me. I should also add that this really should not be under the achievements section, this is merely a design choice and is not an achievement in itself. Sasamj (talk) 21:08, 14 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the clarifications. Feel free to boldly edit the article accordingly. — JFG talk 01:10, 15 February 2018 (UTC)

Starlink is a Spacecraft Right?
Does the Starlink satellites count as a spacecraft as in the Spacecraft and Flight Hardware section? It seems odd that the product SpaceX believe will be the single most profitable part of its business would be in the "Other" category when it clearly is a spacecraft. UnknownM1 (talk) 14:31, 27 February 2018 (UTC)
 * The Starlink satellites are indeed spacecraft, but the program is currently at R&D stage, which is why it is listed in that section, along with BFR. When more information is available, it might deserve its own main-level section. — JFG talk 17:12, 27 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I would agree if it was conceptual but they currently have launched 2 protoype satellites and have 6 more planned. They have operation satellites, even if it is still in R&D. UnknownM1 (talk) 15:39, 28 February 2018 (UTC)
 * By definition, if it's R&D, it's not operational. The test birds can only provide coverage a few minutes a day over a single tracking station in California (from what I recall reading in the FCC license application), and they will cease transmitting and probably decay after a few months. — JFG talk 23:28, 28 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Ok agreed. When would be the appropriate time to expand those sections then? UnknownM1 (talk) 14:59, 1 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Probably as soon as SpaceX publishes some operational plan for Starlink, or a space industry journalist compares the new contenders in low-latency LEO "Internet blanket" constellations. — JFG talk 15:10, 1 March 2018 (UTC)

Section? Elon Musk Deletes FB Pages for SpaceX and Tesla
I'd like to add a myriad of links in regards to the recent actions of Musk; removing SpaceX and Tesla off Facebook. Any ideas of a particular section prior to my additions? It's my belief that these additions would be excellent material for readers and ultimately understanding Musk's reasons to join the movement. Thanks Mygraymatter (talk) 05:20, 26 March 2018 (UTC)
 * ”Understanding Musk’s reasons to join the movement” is irrelevant to an encyclopeadia article on SpaceX or Tesla. If at all the most appropriate place for it is on the Elon Musk page. ChiZeroOne (talk) 15:50, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

Russia surrenders
I think this report by ARS Technica is quite relevant for the Competition section:. Cheers, BatteryIncluded (talk) 22:23, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

Etymology of engine names
In the "Rocket Engines" section of the article, the current edit implies that the name of the Merlin engine refers to the character in Welsh mythology, which is incorrect. The original engines developed by SpaceX for launch vehicle propulsion were Merlin and Kestrel, both named after North American species of falcons. ----Benjamin Henry (talk) 14:03, 28 April 2018 (UTC)
 * Reference for that? Nergaal (talk) 14:07, 28 April 2018 (UTC)


 * https://www.inverse.com/article/35774-elon-musk-names-spacex Sufficient? ----Benjamin Henry (talk) 02:48, 30 April 2018 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I added it in the text. Nergaal (talk) 07:04, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Proposed Article
Good morning to all.

I wish to get feedback and advice regarding the following article that hopefully I can publish. I am writing this as a freelance effort. Thank you!LOBOSKYJOJO (talk) 23:10, 24 August 2018 (UTC)

SpaceX Initiatives

As of May 2018, media companies in the United States reported Billionaire businessman Elon Musk’s SpaceX Company has a valuation of $24 billion. Some projected it at $28 billion. https://nypost.com/2018/04/13/spacex-is-now-worth-24-billion/ https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/spacex-leading-the-space-race-to-launch-humans-to-mars.html In February 6 of the same year, SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy Booster from Florida USA, acknowledged as the most powerful rocket in the world since the Saturn V moon rocket of the National Aeronautics and Safety Administration (NASA). https://www.space.com/39632-spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-whats-next.html https://www.nasa.gov/feature/50-years-ago-the-first-flight-of-the-saturn-v Stakeholders in the space industry described Elon Musk as today’s most disruptive space innovator and prophetic entrepreneur determined to build massive economical reusable spacecraft and rockets for colonization of human beings in the planet Mars. Musk said he wants to help develop the space exploration sector in the USA like the Blue Origin of Jeff Bezos. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/09/new-space-race-billionaires-elon-musk-jeff-bezos Aside from SpaceX, NASA contracted Boeing for the development of commercial crew flights to the International Space Station (ISS) that travels over the planet Earth from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/boeing-nasa-spacecraft-international-space-station-setback-propellant-leak-a8458586.html However, Boeing confirmed a glitch during the test launch of its CST-100 Starliner crew vehicle in July 21, 2018 that can set back its mission for transporting astronauts to the ISS. https://spacenews.com/boeings-starliner-launch-abort-engine-suffers-problem-during-testing/ SpaceX and Boeing have made substantial progress in improving their respective crew transportation systems despites some delays. However, these contractors expressed confidence to achieve certification milestones by 2019. https://bgr.com/2018/07/12/spacex-boeing-nasa-new-space-race/ SpaceX intends to launch Demo-2 (Dragon spacecraft) on top of the Falcon 9 Rocket in April 2019 from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-A in Florida State. https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2018/08/03/meet-the-astronauts-flying-spacexs-demo-2/ According to the Wall Street Journal, NASA gave subsidies worth $6.8 billion to both SpaceX and Boeing in September 2014 to develop, build, and test space transport (Space Taxi contracts) for flying US astronauts into trajectory. https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-and-spacex-share-6-8-billion-in-nasa-space-taxi-contracts-1410904245 Elon Musk’s first company that he founded with his brother in 1995 at Palo Alto, California was Zip2, a web pioneer working with newspapers at that time to bring advertisements and local information on the Internet. They sold the company in 1999 to Compaq for $20 million. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/19/how-elon-musk-founded-zip2-with-his-brother-kimbal.html Musk became chief executive officer of PayPal briefly in 2000 before eBay purchased the global online payments system in 2002. Elon Musk put his earnings of around $180 million to SpaceX and Tesla Motors. http://time.com/money/4883868/8-innovative-ways-elon-musk-made-money-before-he-was-a-billionaire/ An article published in Quartz.com cited Musk as borrowing $20 million against his SpaceX assets to finance Tesla one year after NASA funded the $1.6 billion contract with Musk’s SpaceX and receiving a $20 million funding investment from the Founder’s Fund. https://qz.com/1361847/elon-musk-considers-financing-tesla-bid-with-spacex/ SpaceX will have its next rocket launching by September 9, 2018. The Falcon 9 Block 5 craft will carry the 18V geostationary communications satellite of Telstar Telestat. https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-block-5-launch-landing-september-slip/ The Los Angeles Times published an article on August 20, 2018 mentioning the NASA as cautiously agreeing to allow SpaceX to operate its rocket while astronauts have boarded the capsule for the flight to the International Space Station. The NASA wants more demonstrations prior to giving ultimate approval. In 2016, SpaceX employed a similar process with a rocket which burst and destroyed the satellite it carried. NASA personnel performed a thorough assessment of the company’s ground operations, escape platform, and operational history for safety purposes. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-load-and-go-20180820-story.html LOBOSKYJOJO (talk) 23:10, 24 August 2018 (UTC)

Excellent historical overview source
Reusability - The Key to Reliability and Affordability is an excellent overview of the history, current capabilities, and current mission manifest of SpaceX ("We have about a hundred missions on the manifest, and that represents a value of about twelve billion dollars"). Was a talk given by Hans Koenigsmann, VP of Mission Assurance, at IAC 2018 in Bremen, Germany, in September 2018. Focus is on the 15 years of SpaceX since 2003 when Koenigsmann, Gwynne Shotwell, and [[ElonMusk first came to IAC 2003 in Bremen... when, well, people paid just a little bit less attention to SpaceX then.

Covers those fifteen years of history, but the talk was given almost exactly 10 years from the first successful launch of Falcon 1, the first successful SpaceX rocket launch and the first successful launch of a payload on an orbital trajectory by any private company. Prior to that time, only about a half-dozen nation states had flown orbital rocket technology, during the first five decades of humans even possessing spaceflight technology. 15 yrs of innovative technology advancement, putting cost-effective reusable launch technology on the market for the first time. Here is part 2 including the Q&A Cheers. N2e (talk) 14:15, 20 October 2018 (UTC)

Ownership
According to recent FCC filings filed on 2018-11-08 Elon must now owns 50.5% of Space Exploration Holdings, LLC https://fcc.report/IBFS/SAT-MOD-20181108-00083/1569858.pdf — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lgats (talk • contribs) 23:35, 8 November 2018 (UTC)

Capital acquisition and operating funds
SpaceX has accepted equity investment on a number of occasions, including from VC funds, HNW individuals, Google and Fidelity. As companies mature, and have more regular revenue-derived cash flow from contracted operations, they often also raise funds to fund operations, from the debt markets, as loans.

SpaceX seem to have recently decided to borrow US$250 million, after having been approved for 3x that amount by debt investors, in a deal arranged with Bank of America. Cheers. N2e (talk) 03:44, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Notes section
Just removed a recently-added "Notes" section of the article, per WP:BRD. Time to discuss each of the various aspects of those claims here on the Talk page.

This extensive note was added to the article on 25 Feb 2019: ""

Part of that statement is sourced, and several parts are not. The unsourced part should not be in the article until and unless it can be sourced, and then would require discussion simply because numerous other sources, and previous discussion on Wikipedia Talk pages, have achieved consensus that is not aligned with the statements as made in the "Note".

The part that is sourced ["Conestoga I, a solid-fuel rocket launched 26 years & 19 days earlier on Sep 9, 1982, was the first the first privately funded rocket of any kind to reach space, achieving a sub-orbital trajectory with an apogee of 195 miles. This design adapted major government surplus components of the Minuteman ICBM."], is interesting but it is unclear that it fits in this article, since this article on SpaceX only made the statement that SpaceX had achieved the first liquid-fueled orbital payload that was done on a privately-developed launch vehicle. Certainly open to consensus we might form here that that bit should remain, but I could see multiple arguments on both sides, so it would require building a consensus. Cheers. N2e (talk) 14:12, 22 March 2019 (UTC)

Disruptor
SpaceX was first on the 2018 CNBC Disruptor 50 list. I didn't see an obvious place to put it in the article. TGCP (talk) 14:17, 15 June 2019 (UTC)

Gravitational research
Hi, its been suggested that SpaceX has a "Skunkworks" facility investigating the possibility of non-conventional propulsion systems possibly with experimental data from NASA, Boeing (Project Greenglow) and elsewhere I've not heard anything else about this but it appears they had some limited success though it was not feasible to retrofit this to conventional launch systems due to incompatibilities. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 185.3.100.28 (talk) 03:20, 7 August 2019 (UTC)
 * Hearsay at best, unless you can provide a source.War (talk) 05:08, 7 August 2019 (UTC)

A spaceX ships page
Maybe we should have a article on all the ships spaceX uses HurricaneMichael2018 (talk) 01:43, 25 August 2019 (UTC)
 * There is Ms. Tree (ship) and the multiple drone ships are already on Autonomous spaceport drone ship. There are other ships like the Searcher and the new Ms. Chief (this is very similar to Ms. Tree so might not need another page). --Frmorrison (talk) 17:25, 25 August 2019 (UTC)

Image in infobox
I am reverting User:Anonymous427's recent edit to move the image File:Iridium-4 Mission (25557986177).jpg out of the infobox. Their reasoning was "Not necessary to include image in infobox". It's true that it is not necessary, but there is also no reason not to have one in the infobox. The Infobox company template includes fields for both the logo and an image specifically for this. SpaceX creates so much great imagery that it seems a shame not to include some image in the infobox. It doesn't have to be that image, but I think that is a great one as the lead image because it shows both launch operations and the SpaceX headquarters with the recovered Falcon 9 booster. This captures the main business that SpaceX conducts, the main location where their products are built, and a historical artifact related to the company's history (the first ever recovered orbital booster) all in one image. This seems like a great illustrative image to include in the lead of the article because it captures multiple aspects of the company, and I see no reason why the infobox shouldn't include an image. -- Yarnalgo  talk to me 21:49, 13 February 2020 (UTC)

SpaceX in 2020 Going to Mars before 2030 ?
https://www.spacex.com/falcon-heavy

https://www.spacex.com/starship — Preceding unsigned comment added by SpaceScience2020 (talk • contribs) 19:56, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Not unless we find some way to keep a crew alive in space for over six months. Pie in the sky at this oint. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.111.5.65 (talk) 02:21, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

Page Protection Request
I have submitted a request for temporary semi-protection due to the addition of unsourced and poorly sourced content as well as the risk for vandalism due to the recent Crew Demo 2 mission. Grahamevan05178 (talk) 21:54, 4 June 2020 (UTC)

what is a "meter"?
A "meter" is a measuring device. How come wiki uses the incorrect spelling for "metre" from the only country on the planet whom refuse to use SI units?

200.68.142.18 (talk) 01:53, 31 May 2020 (UTC) Baden K.


 * SpaceX is an American company so that is probably why the traditional American spelling of the word meter is used. Grahamevan05178 (talk) 21:55, 4 June 2020 (UTC)

SpaceX and Tesla ....the amazing technology that Elon now owns (51% Ownership of Tesla Corp)
Bold textNikola_Tesla_MuseumThe amazing TESLA technology and inventions unkown Wireless Comms and Power over WiFi invented in 1907

Perhaps the greatest ambition of Tesla was his dream to wirelessly transmit energy across long distances, using only air as a medium. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFcr3OGHOk&t=162s — Preceding unsigned comment added by SpaceScience2020 (talk • contribs) 20:06, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

Ronald S. Baron seems to own 11%. TGCP (talk) 21:14, 9 June 2020 (UTC)

NASA section
Why is there a NASA section in the article with nothing in it? Jackhammer111 (talk) 03:55, 2 July 2020 (UTC)
 * (please start new section at the bottom of the talk page) Not sure what you mean by blank, we have the sections "SpaceX", "SpaceX", "SpaceX", and "SpaceX" under NASA? Maybe we could had a summery section of those 4 sections right under NASA heading like we have for SpaceX. Its hard to spot but the COTS header is slightly smaller then NASA heading showing COTS (and the rest mentioned above) is a subheading of NASA - hence hot blank. OkayKenji (talk • contribs) 00:36, 14 July 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 10:24, 3 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Starship SN8.jpg

Worth adding?
Hi. I've wondering if this news about Indonesia ask SpaceX is worth adding to this article? Since it's coming from the Indonesian Government itself. Thanks! FarhanSyafiqF (talk) 16:49, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
 * , Yep, Bloomberg is considered a generally reliable source, (WP:GREL)! Neuralnewt (talk) 21:17, 13 December 2020 (UTC)

First private company to launch an object into orbit around the Sun
My edit to remove this "first" was reverted by User:Fcrary, so I'd like to discuss what the resolution to this dispute should be. SpaceX are clearly not the first private company to launch an object to heliocentric orbit (and Fcrary agrees -- "The statement clearly means SpaceX was the first company to launch something into solar orbit on their own. Plenty of companies have been paid by their governments to do so."). I disagree that the meaning of the current statement in the article is clear, and I can't think of a way to reword it. MatthewWilcox (talk) 19:59, 26 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I replaced that with "first to launch a private spacecraft into heliocentric orbit." Hopefully this clears up the confusion. N828335 (talk) 02:35, 27 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Works for me! Thanks! MatthewWilcox (talk) 20:45, 27 December 2020 (UTC)


 * OK, how about this one: "3 December 2013 | First private company to send a satellite into geosynchronous orbit (GEO). | SES-8 on Falcon 9 flight 7". Atlas V put Hot Bird 6 into GTO in August 2002.  I can't see a way to change that to be a first -- it's just catching up to ULA. MatthewWilcox (talk) 04:34, 10 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I don't believe this is true, I will remove it. Thanks for the catch. It is also incorrect because the Falcon 9 only takes payloads to GTO, not GEO. Also worth noting that ULA did not form until 2006, but has had many GTO launches before 2013. N828335 (talk) 06:08, 10 January 2021 (UTC)

List of SpaceX launches
There's a Draft:List of SpaceX launches being submitted to AFC that reuses a lot of the verbiage from other SpaceX articles. Do you want such an article for mainspace? Should there be one for List of SpaceX missions as with List of NASA missions? AngusW🐶🐶F ( bark  •  sniff ) 20:49, 19 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I don't think that we need that article, it just becomes another one that we would have to maintain. I'd recommend just adding a redirect to SpaceX, were I added links to List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches, List of Falcon 1 launches, and List of Starship flights, which basically contain all the information from that page. List of SpaceX missions probably isn't needed at the moment, because that would basically be Starlink, which already has its own list. N828335 (talk) 21:44, 19 January 2021 (UTC)

[The CEO of] SpaceX is pushing back publicly on the slow regulatory processes of the FAA
The CEO of SpaceX is definitely doing public pushback on the slow regulatory processes of the FAA, as this WaPo article covers: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/28/elon-musk-spacex-starship-faa/ What’s holding up the next test of SpaceX’s Starship? Elon Musk blames the FAA.], Washington Post, 28 January 2021. This is not unheard of, but is not the usual process of companies and executives with respect to nation state regulatory agencies. N2e (talk) 03:21, 29 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure if a tweet by Mr. Musk counts as SpaceX "pushing back publicly on the slow regulatory processes of the FAA." Mr. Musk tweets a whole lot, and what it tweets isn't necessarily the official policy of one of his companies. (If this was about more than Mr. Musk's tweets, I apologize, but the Washington Post is behind a paywall, so I can't read the referenced article.) Fcrary (talk) 06:09, 29 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Agreed. I've updated my post to refer to the "The CEO of..." rather than just saying SpaceX.  When the CEO of a company does public pushback on a US regulatory agency, it is, as I said the in my post, "not the usual process of companies and executives with respect to nation state regulatory agencies."  Cheers.  N2e (talk) 11:12, 29 January 2021 (UTC)

FAA & DOJ
Apparently SpaceX violated their launch license with SN8. https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/29/22256657/spacex-launch-violation-explosive-starship-faa-investigation-elon-musk. And DOJ are investigating them for discrimination. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/doj-investigating-spacex-after-hiring-discrimination-complaint-.html. Don't know whats going on. Perhaps its early to note. idk. But seems serious. OkayKenji (talk • contribs) 02:22, 31 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Let's be clear about this. The Verge article about SN8 violating launch licenses (reprinted by other sources) is based entirely on statements from "two people familiar with the incident" (anonymous). The DoJ investigation is about not hiring someone because (as advertised) the job was only open to US citizens or green card holders. That's legal if the job would give someone access to export-controlled (i.e. ITAR sensitive) material, and SpaceX could probably justify the hiring decision that way. That investigation has been going on since last June, so it's not really news. The recent story is over the DoJ asking a judge to order SpaceX to turn over related information. SpaceX claims that the DoJ's request for "exceeded the scope of IER’s [Immigrant and Employee Rights Section] authority" and that collecting it would be burdensome. As far as this relates to the Wikipedia article on SpaceX, I don't think we should add anything (yet). The former isn't based on solid enough evidence, and the later is the sort of back-and-forth squabbling that goes on all the time between regulators and companies' legal departments. Fcrary (talk) 02:49, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

Incorporated in Delaware
Regarding the claim that there is undue weight, I don't see how it is undue weight to briefly mention the state of incorporation right next to the state where it is headquartered. From WP:WEIGHT, Undue weight is mostly about preventing minority opinions from being overemphasized in an article not specifically about those minority opinions, while still maintaining a neutral POV. This is seen when on the page of undue weight it is summarized by as: "●If a viewpoint is in the majority, then it should be easy to substantiate it with reference to commonly accepted reference texts; ●If a viewpoint is held by a significant minority, then it should be easy to name prominent adherents; ●If a viewpoint is held by an extremely small minority, it does not belong on Wikipedia, regardless of whether it is true or you can prove it, except perhaps in some ancillary article." Where a company is incorporated is not only a verifiable fact, but is imho very relevant to an article specifically about that corporation. In the US, corporations are formed pursuant to state law of the state in which they are incorporated. The state where SpaceX was incorporated is imho at least as relevant as the state where its physical headquarters is.JMM12345 (talk) 19:44, 5 March 2021 (UTC)JMM12345
 * CC:, who posted the tag. OkayKenji (talk) 21:51, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
 * WP:Weight is not only about minority opinions, but also minor details. I agree it is verifiable and relevant to the article, but I don't think it is important enough to place in the first sentence. I'm no expert on the specifics of the deal, but headquartering seems significantly more important, because for SpaceX that is where a large portion of the workers are and where parts are made. State of incorporation is very minor - it doesn't have to be where the business is located, and is only chosen for various benefits for the company. It has little effect on the outward appearance of the company, so it should not be included in the first sentence, but elsewhere. N828335 (talk) 22:05, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I agree. When it comes to the text in the lead and especially in the first sentence, we need to consider the interests of the general readers. The fact that SpaceX is based on California, with many of their facilities in Hawthorne, is something I suspect many readers would be interested to learn. The fact that SpaceX is incorporated in Delaware, for obscure tax, regulatory or corporate reasons, is something I suspect the general reader would not care about. The fact that SpaceX is incorporated in Delaware should be discussed in the article. But not in the lead and definitely not in the first sentence. Fcrary (talk) 03:34, 6 March 2021 (UTC)
 * No one cares where it's incorporated. Leijurv (talk) 05:57, 6 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Seems like we are mostly in agreement that this is not notable to be included in the first sentence. Unless clear evidence explaining the contrary is shown, I will move the detail to under the "Facilities" section shortly. N828335 (talk) 06:15, 6 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I don't have much objection to move it elsewhere in the article as long as it remains a part of the article if pretty much everyone else thinks that it should move. I still maintain that it is not even remotely "obscure" what jurisdiction a company is incorporated, as that company is basically formed by state law and becomes basically a like a 'citizen' of that state under the law for the purposes of taxation, lawsuits, laws, regulations, etc., which in comparison to the physical location of the headquarters which can be moved on a whim seems at least as important. What I would certainly object to would be removing it entirely.JMM12345 (talk) 06:24, 6 March 2021 (UTC)JMM12345
 * The point is, the average reader doesn't care about taxation, lawsuits, laws, and regulations. Headquarters location, for SpaceX, is a manufacturing plant, where many of the employees work, and where their mission control is. It probably won't change "on a whim," it would be a major endeavor to move it. In all my time of following SpaceX, I did not even know they were incorporated in Delaware, but I had heard of their headquarter location countless times. The only other place it is even mentioned that I can find are government documents, not in any news articles. N828335 (talk) 15:58, 6 March 2021 (UTC)

SpaceX $20 million lawsuit Draft article
This is a notice to editors that I started Draft:Venegas v Space Exploration Technologies Corp, which is a $20 million lawsuit filed against SpaceX. Feel free to help improve it so it can come out of draft space and into mainspace. Elijahandskip (talk) 12:41, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Not sure there is enough info on this yet for mainspace, but I'm not familiar with court case articles. N828335 (talk) 14:02, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Same. I don't know exactly when a law stub is ok for mainspace.  It has 6 refs though.  I will give it a day and if no one opposes the move, I will move it to main space.  Elijahandskip (talk) 14:27, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
 * It has enough refs, but I say it would around 10,000 bytes in length (under Page info, 5x longer than it is now) and significant revisions to make it grammatically correct and compliant with WP:MOS, before moving it into the article namespace. N828335 (talk) 15:31, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

Falcon 1 and the first orbital liquid fueled rocket
I added the qualifier "fully" to the "first privately funded liquid fueled orbital rocket" (first privately funded fully liquid fueled orbital rocket) because the first privately developed orbital rocket: Pegasus, utilized the liquid fueled HAPS 4th stage on a number of flights before the first Falcon 1 flight (and before SpaceX was founded). The Falcon 1 cannot be the first "first privately funded liquid fueled orbital rocket" when the first privately developed orbital rocket also utilized a liquid stage. This is the reason this qualification was added. --Jrcraft Yt (talk) 03:29, 2 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Thanks for adding your helpful explanation, Jrcraft Yt. But you should not have added it back to the article yet.  You made a WP:BOLD edit.  It was Reverted.  The place to Discuss it is here on the Talk page, using WP:BRD; not in edit warring on the article page.


 * I was not aware that Pegasus was a privately developed rocket; that is, that it was built and development-paid-for by the commercial company that built it. I had understood Pegasys to be a pretty standard US Government procurement rocket, and that it was developed by the ordinary method that the USG has used for rockets for six decades until recently, with SpaceX orbital rockets.  Happy to get new reliably-sourced info to educate me that something else is the case.  OVer the years, I have seen a number of reliable sources that support the statement that has been in the article for a long time, and that the SpaceX Falcon 1 flight in 2008 was the "first privately funded liquid fueled orbital rocket".  So we are going to have to work to find reliable sources for your claim about the Pegasys.


 * So should we continue the discussion here? Or over on the Falcon 1 page where I see that an editor has added the same "fully" qualification as well.  (but only supported by a primary source from the Pegasys rocket's manufacturer).  Cheers.  N2e (talk) 04:32, 2 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Pegasus was developed using only funding provided by Orbital Sciences Corporation and Hercules Aerospace Company (they made the solid stages, Orbital made the liquid stage)) and received no government funding.  It was originally designed to launch their in-house satellite constellation. There isn't a debate on whether Pegasus was private or not. The HAPS stage (Pegasus's 4th stage) was fueled by hydrazine (liquid fuel). That means the statement "first privately funded liquid fueled orbital rocket" is incorrect, as Pegasus had a liquid stage.    --Jrcraft Yt (talk) 05:08, 2 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Most of those sources are WP:PRIMARY sources by principals from the companies involved, or company websites and documents. In order to avoid synthesis on the statement Pegasys was a privately-developed orbital launch vehicle, I believe that other editors (and me too) would want to see the claim directly in several WP:SECONDARY sources.
 * I could see why those sources might be harder to find, given that the first three stages of Pegasys (all are solid rocket stages) were derived from obtained from decommissioned Minuteman ICBM missiles US ICBM missile solid rocket motor formulations, all fully developed including R&D plus flight testing developed by the US government. As I searched the internet, it looks like Orbital Sciences merely found a good use for old US government Minuteman missiles that the USG was going to destroy under international treaty obligations , bought some government-developed SRB technology packed into a smaller-diameter cases by the original gvmt supplier of the Minuteman missiles, designed a liquid monopropellant 4th stage, and did the integration testing to turn it into an orbital rocket.  That is not exactly "privately developed" except is some universe far, far away.  N2e (talk) 11:23, 2 May 2021 (UTC)

You are thinking of the Minotaur rockets which are different. Those used decommissioned missile parts. Pegasus does not. You are confusing the Pegasus with the Minotaur series, which is an entirely diferent rocket that we aren't discussing. Pegasus uses privately developed solid rocket motors. Pegasus does not use minuteman or any ICBM motors. The Minuteman ICBM which you stated uses a Thiokol built, 1.68 m diameter stages while Pegasus uses privately developed 1.27 m diameter solid motors. Again, your confusing the Pegasus launch vehicle with the Minotaur launch vehicle series. Do you have any sources to back up your claim? This was also already discussed on the Falcon 1 talk page. Pegasus was a privately developed orbital rocket, and nobody disputes that. Minuteman missiles use solid rocket motors developed by Thiokol, not Hercules. Pegasus uses Orion solid motors, which were originally developed for Pegasus and the aforementioned HAPS liquid stage. So I'm confused as to where your getting your information of "obtained from decommissioned Minuteman ICBM missiles" because that claim is not supported in any documentation. Please cite your sources for these claims. N2e --Jrcraft Yt (talk) 18:20, 2 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Thanks for that additional info. I've updated my previous comment and struck out the bits about it being actual Minuteman missile parts.  So it seems like whether or not the air-launched Pegasus rocket was privately-developed or not should really happen over in the Pegasus article, 'cause right now, that article is not clear and unambiguous about the matter. N2e (talk) 02:46, 4 May 2021 (UTC)

What is relevant for this article about the company SpaceX is the proposal by Jrcraft Yt to: add "the qualifier "fully" to the sentence in the lead "first privately funded liquid fueled orbital rocket" so that it would read "first privately funded fully liquid fueled orbital rocket"


 * OPPOSE — that is not a qualification we've seen in the sources that have addressed the SpaceX first orbital flight in 2008 with the Falcon 1 rocket. Those many sources simply say that Falcon 1 was the first privately funded liquid fueled orbital rocket.  It requires quite a bit of WP:SYN synthesis to put together all the bits to try to qualify the sentence with the word "fully" as proposed. Moreover, that is not what the sources say, for this article about SpaceX. N2e (talk) 02:46, 4 May 2021 (UTC)


 * I SUPPORT — adding the qualifier because Pegasus's 4th stage (like Electron's third stage) is a liquid propellent stage. Pegasus was a privately developed orbital rocket that utilized a fully liquid propellent stage. That makes the statement (the Falcon 1 was the) "first privately funded liquid fueled orbital rocket" unequivocally false. Pegasus is a private orbital rocket with a liquid stage. Claiming the Falcon 1 as the first private orbital rocket that used liquid propellent is verifiable untrue, and reflects bias towards the subject. Adding the term "fully" both gives the reader a better understanding of the makeup of the vehicle's stages; But it also makes the statement factually correct. Keep in mind that the statement in question is not quoted from any source, rather is one written by a Wikipedia editor. The qualifier accurately reflects of the topic at hand using easily verifiable, and reliable sources. --Jrcraft Yt (talk) 05:05, 4 May 2021 (UTC)

SUPPORT Adding the qualification further clarifies the fact that though revolutionary, the SpaceX Falcon 1 was not strictly the first privately orbital class developed rocket to use a liquid fuel stage. --RunsWthScissors (talk) 22:16, 5 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Oppose. I don't think an 'optional' fourth stage counts as an "orbital rocket". As far as I can tell, when Pegasus uses the fourth stage is used, it isn't fired until the fourth stage and the payload are already in orbit (to get the payload to a higher orbit.) That makes it sound like the "orbital rocket" is the first three, solid stages and the liquid fourth stage is for in-space propulsion. Fcrary (talk) 17:58, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

edit request moved from article onto talk page
Elon Musk has been seeking collaboration with Turkish defense contractors. On January 2021 this was proven more by the launch of the Turksat 5A communication satellite built by Airbus Aerospace and Defense(Turkish Aerospace Company) on a Space X Falcon-9 v1.2 Rocket. Erdogan went on to tell reporters on January 29th of 2021 in Istanbul when questioned about further cooperation with Musk that he assigned an aide of his to keep in contact with Musk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Q5JtNgvmU
 * I have moved you request here rather than as an insert into the article itself. However can you please specify exactly what edit you wish to be made (either "Change X to Y", or "Plkease add this text...) IdreamofJeanie (talk) 23:48, 1 August 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 22:08, 28 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Starlink Mission (47926144123).jpg

Semi-protected edit request on 13 October 2021 (2)
I suggest adding a "Criticism" part to this article. Every other big company has it - SpaceX shouldn't be any different just because. 109.80.126.39 (talk) 20:59, 13 October 2021 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. RandomCanadian (talk / contribs) 23:39, 13 October 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 13 October 2021
So far, SpaceX Starship is just a concept. Therefore, I suggest we change all "will be" about it to "is planned to be" or some variation thereof. Other concept launchers have this kind of treatment (capacities are written as planned only or theoretical until demonstrated, look at Blue Origin's wiki page and the part about New Glenn for example) so I don't see why Starship would be extempt from this. 109.80.126.39 (talk) 20:57, 13 October 2021 (UTC)
 * ✅ ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 11:23, 14 October 2021 (UTC)

No section on controversies about the Boca Chica site
It appears that there is no section on issues related to the Boca Chica site (environmental protection, pressure on residents, etc.) Could someone make one ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:8071:9280:8F00:E9FF:4541:2ADE:7AAA (talk) 01:36, 4 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Sure, wait a sec CactiStaccingCrane (talk) 13:30, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
 * ✅, a sentence. CactiStaccingCrane (talk) 13:33, 7 December 2021 (UTC)

Tom Mueller as a cofounder
The lead paragraph describe Musk as the founder, but there are reliable relevant third party sources that describe Tom Mueller as a cofounder. Some of the sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/25/tom-mueller-spacex-cto-who-makes-elon-musks-rockets-fly.html https://www.uidaho.edu/engr/news/features/tom-mueller-hwhi https://graduate.lmu.edu/spotlight/tommuellerms92/

Therefore, should not the lead paragraph be changed to say that Mueller and Musk are cofounders of SpaceX? Seems like it to me. QRep2020 (talk) 20:05, 24 September 2021 (UTC)


 * I think if you should change it and keep an eye at your edits for a while, after all, it is how progress is made :) CactiStaccingCrane (talk) 13:36, 7 December 2021 (UTC)


 * This was thrashed out a l o o o n g time ago. Mueller was one of the earliest employees but not a founder in the usual sense of the word. Andyjsmith (talk) 16:31, 9 December 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protection ended!
Let's hope that vandals don't target this page anymore... CactiStaccingCrane (talk) 00:35, 11 January 2022 (UTC)

WP:UNDUE with the sexual harassment claims
There seems to be undue focus about these claims in the article. I think the section should be trimmed down to a smaller summary. I see the article was recently locked but I could go ahead and edit it (I'm extended autoconfirmed), but wondering if anyone feels strongly against trimming it down further. Ergzay (talk) 03:30, 6 January 2022 (UTC)
 * There are three lines about it at the bottom of the article. Hardly undue. Also, "account" is perfectly fine to use because accounts can be true or false, not sure what connotation your edit referred to. QRep2020 (talk) 21:53, 6 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I concur these few sentences are not undue focus. Whitewashing articles or companies is not Wikipedia policy. The accusations have been published by multiple reliable sources and serves the article as a balance to the mostly positive coverage. LovelyLillith (talk) 04:48, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

SpaceX founding date
According to SpaceX's website, they were founded March 14 2002. (Pi Day) Reference: http://web.archive.org/web/20120318023826/http://www.spacex.com/spacexat10.php

''March 14, 2012: Ten years ago today, SpaceX was founded with the goal of helping make the human race a multi-planetary species. We remain firmly committed to this goal and will do everything within our power to help make this happen.''

Currently we list incorporation records date of May 6, however this is the cross-filing date in California. SpaceX is actually incorporated in Deleware.

I confirmed 03/14/2002 is incorporation date in Deleware: https://icis.corp.delaware.gov/eCorp/EntitySearch/NameSearch.aspx File Number:	3500808	Incorporation Date / Formation Date:	3/14/2002 (mm/dd/yyyy) Entity Name:	SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. Entity Kind:	Corporation	Entity Type:	General Residency:	Domestic	State:	DELAWARE

Note the Deleware gov website is clunky and doesn't always work in Chrome. Safari does work. Given the 20th anniversary is coming next month, it seems we should get this correct.Sanserio (talk) 01:22, 11 February 2022 (UTC)

Who is author of this page
Plzz answer my question 2409:4063:4E80:955:0:0:220B:B501 (talk) 07:18, 13 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Have a look at https://xtools.wmflabs.org/articleinfo/en.wikipedia.org/SpaceX . --Fama Clamosa (talk) 07:33, 13 February 2022 (UTC)

The flacon 9 rocket crashing into the moon
On approximately march 4th 2022, the falcon 9 rocket will crash into the dark/far side of the moon. It will be going at approximately 5700mph/2.548128kms/9173.26007661392kmh. A new section will need to be added for this.

Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2022/01/27/when-and-where-to-see-elon-musks-out-of-control-spacex-rocket-that-will-crash-into-the-moon-at-5700-mph/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Megabits13 (talk • contribs) 16:58, 28 January 2022 (UTC) Megabits13 (talk) 00:52, 1 February 2022 (UTC)Megabits13

Apparently it isn’t the falcon 9, it is a Chinese booster. https://gizmodo.com/plot-twist-a-different-rogue-rocket-is-going-to-hit-th-1848533067?utm_source=email-alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2022-02-15 Megabits13 (talk) 16:08, 22 February 2022 (UTC)Megabits13