Timeline
SpaceX founded in 2002 with initially with Jim Cantrell(now left) Hans Koenigsmann, Tom Mueller, Gwynne Shotwell.
Milestones
March 2006 First flight of SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket.
2008
September Falcon 1, SpaceX’s prototype rocket, is the first privately developed liquid-fuelled rocket to
orbit Earth.
2009
July Falcon 1 becomes first privately developed rocket to deliver a commercial satellite into orbit.
2010
4th June 1st Falcon 9 Launch, successfully achieves Earth orbit.
8th December 1st Dragon flight, first commercial company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and recover it successfully.
2012
21th September: Grasshopper - first test flight with a landing, reaching 5.4 m of the ground. at McGregor
October: 1st Falcon 9 ISS resupply with Dragon
2013
September: First flight of SpaceX’s upgraded Falcon 9 V1.1 rocket, with successful re-entry of the first stage booster
3 December: First flight of Falcon 9 to geosynchronous transfer orbit. Payload was SES-8.
2014
17th April: 1st test flight of the enlarged Grasshopper F9R Dev at McGregor
April: SpaceX successfully lands Falcon 9 first stage in Atlantic Ocean
Aug - Geostationary Satellite launch
11th February: SpaceX 1st Deep Space Launch DSCOVR Satellite to Sun-Earth L1 Lagrangian point.
Nov : F9R Dev2 test article at McGregor, Texas
2015
21st December First successful landing of a F9 1st stage onto dry land LZ1 at Cape Canaveral
F9R Dev2 test article for High altitude tests at Mojave, New Mexico
Merlin 1E rocket engine test (Now Merlin 1D full thrust)
2016
8th April 1st recovery of F9 1st stage on a "Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship" ASDS
First Raptor engine Tested Sept 2016
Musk presented details of the BFR and the ITS(MCT) at the ICA on Sept. 26-30, 2016 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
2017
14th Jan 1st Pacific recovery of F9 1st stage on "Just Read the Instructions" ASDS
19th Feb 1 st Launch from NASA Kennedy Space Center historic Pad 39A (where Apollo 11 moon shot launched in 1969)
March 1st reuse of a Falcon 9 First stage on mission SES-10 + 1st Fairing fly back (into ocean, will use a "bouncy Castle" to land on)
June 3rd, 1st Dragon capsule reflight (CRS-11)
2018
1st Falcon Heavy Maidan Flight 6 Feb - Static fire( Dec 2017) Mars Orbit test flight (payload a Tesla roadster car!)
22nd Feb Test communication satellites TinTin A B
22nd Feb Fairing landed back to water (missed the capture net but landed intact)
1st Block 5 Falcon 9 - 11th May
Sept Update on BFR from elon Musk included a BFR Moon flyby announced for 2023 with private passengers #dearMoon.
7th Oct saw the first return-to-launch-site 1st Stage booster recovery for SpaceX on LZ4( or WC LZ1) at Vandenberg ASB, West Coast USA.
3rd Dec First time a 'Flight proven' 1st stage B1046.3 fly for the third time.
2019
22 Feb Luna Xprize Lander (delayed from Oct 2015) Luna Xprize now ended, But SpaceX launched SpaceIL moon lander (Lunar landing failed).
2nd March: Uncrewed Dragon version 2 DM1 flight, docked to ISS on the 3rd March (previously 2018 was May 2017)
9th March: Uncrewed Dragon version 2 landing in the Atlantic from the ISS
4th April first StarHopper Test with one Raptor engine, StarHopper was tethered to only just lift off.
11th April: Falcon Heavy 1st satellite launch, Arabsat-6A, Fully successful all three Block 5 first stages successfully landed.
24th May Launch of 60 Starlink Satellites on an F9
Jan-Aug Starhopper test flights at Boca Chica Beach, Texas (SpaceX's new launch site)
25th June: Falcon Heavy 1st satellite launch for US Air Force sats STP-2, was to have been Sept 2018
1st Fairing capture by ship GO Ms. Tree (was ex-Mr Steven) 25 June
2020
19 Jan: Uncrewed Dragon version 2 flight abort test
1st Manned flight of Dragon V2 Demo Mission 2 DM2 (was previously for 2015).
August 'Starship ORBITAL prototype' test flight of Starship (SN5) 150m Hop
3rd Sept test flight of Starship (SN6) 150m Hop
Oct Starlink internet partially operational (800+ satellites)
15th Nov Full Crewed flight (Crew-1) to ISS for NASA with 4 astronauts.
6th Dec first flight of Cargo Dragon 2 to the ISS
2021
Starship SN9, SN10, SN11 - 10 Km hop tests
Phase 1 Starlink internet constellation operational
23 April Crewed flight (Crew-2) to ISS for NASA with 4 astronauts.
Landing of 'Crew 1' from the ISS
Starship SN15 - 10 Km hop test
16-18 Sept First private Crewed flight ("Inspiration4") to Medium Earth Orbit with 4 astronauts.
10th Nov Crew3
Starship SN15 - 2nd hop test (Cancelled)
21 Dec 100th Falcon 9 successful 1st stage landings.
2022
6th Jan Starlink (first mission for 2022 of 6 SpaceX launches in Jan)
8th April AX-1 first private crewed flight to the ISS for Axiom . with 4 Axiom astronauts.
2023
2nd March Crew-6 to iSS
20th Apr Starship SN24 and 1st stage Booster B7, 1st Integrated Orbital Test flight attempt.
21st May AX-2 second private crewed flight to the ISS for Axiom . with 4 Axiom astronauts.
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Target Timeline (speculative)
Small Falcon Spaceship (SFS) - Falcon 9, Second stage, small BFS orbital test article Cancelled
2023
For Details of 2022 SpaceX Launch manifest click here
NET July Starship SN25 and SB9 1st stage Booster) Orbital Test flight (Awaiting FAA approval)
Polaris Dawn, private mission 1, To test new SpaceX EVA suits from a crew dragon spacewalk.
New larger F9/FH fairings
Vertical integration system at KSC for US military launches
Starship Cargo First LEO Orbital Test flight (With Starlink satellites)
Starship First in orbit refuelling Test flight in LEO for NASA
Demo flight of Dragon XL.
2024
Manned Lunar Flyby (Delayed, was to be Dec 2018 on a FH) with two private passengers. DELAYED awaiting Starship(BFR) in 2023, See #dearMoon.
Demo flight of Lunar Cargo Starship for NASA.
2025
Manned Lunar Landing for NASA with SpaceX's Lunar Starship
2026
Starship Cargo Mars unmanned transporter launch (x2)
2029
Human landing on Mars
Mars
2020 Mars robotic mission and 2018 Red Dragon robotic mission to Mars (was 2020 then 2018 now back to 2020) Cancelled
2021 Manned Flyby? (Dennis Tito: Inspiration Mars) Cancelled
2022 Mars Sample Return (NASA using SpaceX "Red Dragon") Cancelled
2023 Starship(BFR) Moon Fly around mission with passengers including artists (#dearMoon Project)
2023 Starship(BFR) Moon Base test
2024 Starship(BFR) Mars unmanned transporter launch (x2)
2025 Mars Base 1 (Fuel factory) and Base 2 (now 2022 was 2025) both unmanned.
2026 Manned Mars flight (ITS) Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT or Starship/BFR) now ITS (More likely 2029)
2029 Mars Base Alpha
2031-35 Moon Base Alpha
2030s Permanent Mars Base
2040s Mars City?
2130s Terraform Mars?
Launch Sites
2006-9 Omelek Island (wiki)
2010 KSC Pad SLC-40 (refurbishment Sept 2016-late 2017)
2013-17 KSC Pad 39A refurbishment for F9, "Falcon Heavy" and future Rockets.
2013 Vandenburg AFB Cal SpaceX Launch Complex 4E
2014 Boca Chica Beach, Texas development start
2019 Boca Chica Beach Phase1 operational (delayed from 2016)
2019 Boca Chica Beach development for StarHopper tests
2020 Boca Chica Beach Phase2 development for Starship tests
2021 Starship(BFR) orbital test at Boca.
2022-2028 Mars Launches at Boca
Rocket Development
Falcon 1 and Merlin 1A and 1C engine (24 March 2006 - 14 July 2009 Five Launches 2 successful)
Falcon 9 version 1.0 and Merlin 1C engine (2010 - 2013 all 5 Launches successful)
Falcon 9 version 1.1 and Merlin 1D engine (2013....)
Falcon 9 version 2 and Merlin 1D engine with extended 2nd stage (2015....)
Falcon 9 Block 5 upgraded F9 (2018....)
Falcon 9 Heavy and Merlin 1D engine (2018....)
MCT and Raptor engine (2019....)