Space Exploration Technologies Corp

The gig: Gwynne Shotwell, 49, is president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, the Hawthorne company that builds rockets and space capsules to resupply the International Space Station for NASA. Shotwell is No. 2 at the pioneering company behind founder and chief executive Elon Musk. She is responsible for day-to-day operations and managing customer relationships and company growth. Shotwell, with a sunny demeanor and a blunt way of speaking, is often responsible for updating the media on SpaceX's missions while they're happening.

The gig: Gwynne Shotwell, 49, is president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, the Hawthorne company that builds rockets and space capsules to resupply the International Space Station for NASA. Shotwell is No. 2 at the pioneering company behind founder and chief executive Elon Musk. She is responsible for day-to-day operations and managing customer relationships and company growth. Shotwell, with a sunny demeanor and a blunt way of speaking, is often responsible for updating the media on SpaceX's missions while they're happening.

At a launchpad in Cape Canaveral sits a spaceship atop an 18-story rocket that NASA officials hope will be the first privately built craft to dock with the International Space Station. On Thursday, the company that manufactures the spacecraft, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., performed a successful launch readiness test for its upcoming flight - an important step on the road to the space station. The company, better known as SpaceX, posted the news on its Twitter page about fueling its Falcon 9 rocket with rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen as it stood vertical at its launch complex.

A white-and-black space plane, very much resembling the now-retired space shuttle, was trucked to a NASA flight center in the Mojave Desert to begin a round of testing to see if it has the right stuff to carry astronauts one day. Tucked under a white tarp, the space plane called Dream Chaser arrived Wednesday at Dryden Flight Research Center inside Edwards Air Force Base. Tests at Dryden will include tow, captive-carry and free-flight of the Dream Chaser. PHOTOS: A 'new era': Private-sector space mission The tests come as part of a contract with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which is aimed at helping private companies develop spacecraft and rockets capable of launching astronauts from American soil, now that the space shuttle fleet is retired.

After becoming the first private company ever to blast a spacecraft into Earth orbit and have it return intact last month, Hawthorne rocket maker Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is pushing toward its next big step. The company known as SpaceX wants to be the first commercial firm to launch astronauts into outer space and has submitted a proposal to NASA. SpaceX wants in on the potentially multibillion-dollar job of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station after the space shuttle is retired this year.

In his native South Africa, science whiz Elon Musk struck his first business deal when he made $500 selling the code for a "Space Invaders"-style video game he invented. He was 12. It took only another decade or so for him to make some real money: By age 23 Musk had his first significant company in Web software maker Zip2. He banked $22 million when he sold it in 1999 to Compaq Computer. And last year, he pocketed about $150 million in EBay Inc.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., a start-up seeking to slash the cost of coursing through the cosmos, has been granted a five-year license to launch rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Air Force said. The approval could help El Segundo-based SpaceX, as the privately held company is known, compete with Orbital Sciences Corp., which develops small space systems, and later with the bigger rockets of Europe's Arianspace and the United Launch Alliance.

A white-and-black space plane, very much resembling the now-retired space shuttle, was trucked to a NASA flight center in the Mojave Desert to begin a round of testing to see if it has the right stuff to carry astronauts one day. Tucked under a white tarp, the space plane called Dream Chaser arrived Wednesday at Dryden Flight Research Center inside Edwards Air Force Base. Tests at Dryden will include tow, captive-carry and free-flight of the Dream Chaser. PHOTOS: A 'new era': Private-sector space mission The tests come as part of a contract with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which is aimed at helping private companies develop spacecraft and rockets capable of launching astronauts from American soil, now that the space shuttle fleet is retired.

How about a few nights in a space hotel? That one day may be possible under a new agreement between Hawthorne-based rocket venture Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, and Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas. The two companies announced Thursday they plan to offer rides to orbiting Bigelow habitats, using SpaceX's Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft, which is designed to carry up to seven people. Bigelow, founded by Budget Suites of America owner Robert T. Bigelow, is building mini space stations that expand in orbit so paying customers have access to space.

SpaceX , the Hawthorne firm that became the first private company to visit the International Space Station, in May, produced a video to highlight the historic mission. The video, below, is chock-full of dramatic rock music, images and sounds from the mission, including: May 22: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Fla. May 23: Dragon orbited Earth as it traveled toward the space station. May 24: Dragon's onboard sensors and flight systems were subjected to a series of tests.

SpaceX, the Hawthorne rocket maker, has found a new home for flight testing on its reusable rocket. The company has signed a three-year agreement to lease land and facilities at Spaceport America, the state-owned commercial launch site located 55 miles north of Las Cruces, N.M. The announcement was made earlier this week by New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. SpaceX, short for Space Exploration Technologies Corp., has been working to perfect its Grasshopper rocket technology.

In its maiden flight to space, a commercially built 13-story rocket blasted off from a launch pad off the coast of Virginia in a test mission for NASA. The Antares rocket, developed by Orbital Sciences Corp., roared into orbit after launching Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific time from the newly built Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. PHOTOS: Orbital Sciences sends Antares to orbit Although it was simply a test flight to reach orbit, the successful launch was another crucial step in NASA's plan to hand off space missions -- carrying cargo and crews -- to private industry now that the space shuttle fleet has been retired.

Orbital Sciences Corp.'s launch of its new Antares rocket has been put on hold due to a technical issue that popped up when countdown was about 12 minutes away. The 13-story rocket was expected to blast off from NASA's little-known Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia at 2 p.m. Pacific time in its maiden flight to space in a test mission for NASA. But Orbital said it had to abort the launch when an umbilical line to the second stage prematurely fell off while the rocket was on the launch pad. "The teams are still gathering data," the company tweeted . "Most probable next attempt will be Friday, April 19 at 1700 EDT. We will provide confirmation soon.

On a little-known launch pad off the coast of Virginia, a team of about 200 engineers and technicians is readying a 13-story rocket for its maiden flight to space in a test mission for NASA. The Antares rocket, developed by Orbital Sciences Corp., is going through final preparations for a 2 p.m. Pacific time blastoff planned for Wednesday. The eyes of the U.S. government will be on the launch to see whether the two-engine booster has the right stuff. NASA has invested about $288 million in seed money to help the Dulles, Va., company develop its technology, and has an additional $1.9 billion on the table with a contract for eight flights to transport cargo to the International Space Station in the coming years.

After a successful launch of its Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX has ran into a thruster issue with its Dragon cargo-carrying capsule as it orbits the Earth in a mission to resupply the International Space Station for NASA. The Dragon spacecraft has four thruster pods, which work to control the spacecraft as it makes its way to the space station. Following the 7:10 a.m. PST blastoff, only one of the thrusters was working. In an afternoon conference call, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said that a second pod was functioning and that he expected the two others to come online later.

Hawthorne-based SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is on the launch pad ready to blast off at 7:10 a.m. Pacific time from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to begin a resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. If you want to watch the launch, check it out on NASA TV or SpaceX's webcast . Coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. NASA said the weather forecast is 80% favorable for a launch. PHOTOS: A 'new era': Private-sector space mission "We're about to launch and we're happy to be here," Mike Suffredini, NASA program manager for space station at Johnson Space Center, said at a pre-launch press conference.

In the historic launch of its Dragon space capsule Wednesday, Hawthorne-based rocket venture SpaceX didn't carry astronauts or cargo into orbit. But it did transport a wheel of LeBrouere cheese. The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., revealed Thursday that it lifted a secret payload into low Earth orbit aboard its cone-shaped Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX said the choice was a nod to the British comedy troupe Monty Python's Flying Circus and its famous Cheese Shop skit.

The would-be maiden launch of a new rocket designed to sharply cut the cost of lifting satellites into orbit was postponed again Monday because of a "structural issue" with its first-stage tank. The initial flight of Falcon I rocket has been rescheduled for early next year, El Segundo-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. said. The fledgling company, also known as SpaceX, was founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Elon Musk.

On an overcast morning, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canavera l Air Force Station and sped through the clouds Friday on its way to the International Space Station. However, about 12 minutes into the NASA resupply mission, after the rocket had lifted its Dragon capsule packed with more than 1,200 pounds of cargo into orbit, there was an anomaly in the spacecraft. "It appears that although it reached Earth orbit, Dragon is experiencing some type of problem right now," John Insprucker, Falcon 9 product director, told viewers on SpaceX's live webcast.

Hawthorne-based rocket maker SpaceX is targeting Friday as the launch date for the next NASA cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station. The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., performed a successful resupply mission to the space station in October and a demonstration mission back in May. SpaceX is the only commercial company to perform such a task. Blastoff of the company's Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 7:10 a.m. PST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.