The Complex Journey of Elon Musk Before Making SpaceX What It Is Today!
Elon Musk’s life story is filled with hardships that are hard to believe. He was once a young boy with a timid personality who faced numerous challenges from childhood to adolescence. Despite these struggles and coming from a family in crisis, Elon Musk transformed himself into a billionaire recognized worldwide for his success across multiple industries.
When Elon Musk was under 10 years old, he was already reading at least two books a day, most of which were science-related. At the age of 12, he created and sold a computer game for $500 to an American company. By the time he was 17, Elon Musk moved to Canada after his parents separated. In Canada, he worked in a job he would never forget: in the scorching room of a lumber mill.
Elon Musk once shared, “I used to crawl into a dark underground tunnel, transporting hot sand out. There were only 30 workers rotating every 30 minutes because staying longer could have cost us our lives. In the first week, 27 out of 30 workers quit. That’s when I asked myself, ‘What else can I do with this life?’ That’s when I realized I needed to start something new!”
Years later, after dropping out of university, Elon Musk and his friend co-founded a company called PayPal. However, not long after, Elon Musk sold his shares in the company to fund his dream of starting a science-focused company called SpaceX. The company aimed to build spacecraft with the vision of enabling humans to live on other planets.
In 2006, SpaceX’s first rocket launch ended in failure, as the rocket exploded just 33 seconds after liftoff. A second attempt in 2007 also failed due to engine issues before reaching orbit.
In 2008, during its third launch, the spacecraft crashed, marking SpaceX’s third consecutive failure and bringing the company to the brink of closure. It was a devastating loss, with millions of dollars wasted. At that point, Elon Musk was left with just enough money for one more rocket attempt.
On August 28, 2008, the fourth spacecraft was launched. Against all odds, it succeeded and was named “Heart of Gold”. Later, on December 23, 2008, NASA signed a $1.6 billion contract with SpaceX to transport cargo to the International Space Station.
By 2017, Forbes magazine estimated Elon Musk’s net worth at $20 billion, ranking him the 25th richest person in the world.
Source: www.biography.com
Translated by: Kalib9
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