On Tuesday, 6 February, 2018, Elon Musk's company SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. The launch of Falcon Heavy marks a milestone (里程碑) in spaceflight. It's the first time that a powerful rocket was sent into space by a private company.
Elon Musk, who was born on 28 June, 1971, is a South African-born Canadian American investor and engineer. He is the man who sets up several important technology companies. In December 2016, he was ranked 21st on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People.
Born in Pretoria, Musk taught himself computer programming at the age of 10. He moved to Canada to attend Queen's University when he was 17. He transferred (转学) to the University of Pennsylvania two years later, where he received a degree in physics from the College of Arts and Sciences and a degree in economics from the Wharton School.
He began a PhD in applied physics and material sciences at Stanford University in 1995, but dropped out within a month to try to start an entrepreneurial career. He soon set up Zip2 with his brother, a web software company. Musk then set up X. tom, an online payment company. In May 2002 Musk set up SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company. He is CEO and lead designer of it.
Musk has stated that his goals aim to change the world and the lives of human beings. And Tuesday's success takes Musk one step forward to realizing his dream of sending humans to Mars on larger rockets.
