B1 Reading: SpaceX, Rockets That Come Back
Read about SpaceX and fill in the gaps.
Word Bank
Tap a word, then tap a gap. On a computer you can also drag it.
raised
delayed
started
astronauts
failed
control
satellites
reuse
goal
cheaper
criticise
contract
In 2002, Elon Musk a new company called SpaceX. His was to make space travel much cheaper and, one day, to send people to Mars. Many experts thought the idea was crazy.
At first, they seemed to be right. SpaceX's first three rockets all , and the company almost ran out of money. But in 2008, the fourth rocket finally reached space. Soon after, NASA gave SpaceX a big to carry supplies to the International Space Station.
SpaceX's biggest idea was to rockets. Normally, a rocket is used only once and then it falls into the sea. In 2015, SpaceX landed a rocket back on the ground for the first time. Today, the same rockets fly again and again, and this has made launches much .
In 2020, SpaceX became the first private company to send to the space station. It also runs Starlink, a network of about 10,000 small that give fast internet to people all over the world, even in places with no phone lines.
In June 2026, SpaceX sold shares on the stock market for the first time. It $86 billion, the biggest share sale in history. But by the end of July, the share price had fallen by about half, so some investors lost a lot of money.
SpaceX is now testing Starship, the biggest rocket ever built. Musk once said Starship would go to Mars at the end of 2026, but that will not happen. Like many of his plans, it has been .
Some people SpaceX. Astronomers say the thousands of satellites make it harder to study the night sky, and others worry that one person has too much over the company. But few people doubt that SpaceX has changed space travel for ever.
At first, they seemed to be right. SpaceX's first three rockets all , and the company almost ran out of money. But in 2008, the fourth rocket finally reached space. Soon after, NASA gave SpaceX a big to carry supplies to the International Space Station.
SpaceX's biggest idea was to rockets. Normally, a rocket is used only once and then it falls into the sea. In 2015, SpaceX landed a rocket back on the ground for the first time. Today, the same rockets fly again and again, and this has made launches much .
In 2020, SpaceX became the first private company to send to the space station. It also runs Starlink, a network of about 10,000 small that give fast internet to people all over the world, even in places with no phone lines.
In June 2026, SpaceX sold shares on the stock market for the first time. It $86 billion, the biggest share sale in history. But by the end of July, the share price had fallen by about half, so some investors lost a lot of money.
SpaceX is now testing Starship, the biggest rocket ever built. Musk once said Starship would go to Mars at the end of 2026, but that will not happen. Like many of his plans, it has been .
Some people SpaceX. Astronomers say the thousands of satellites make it harder to study the night sky, and others worry that one person has too much over the company. But few people doubt that SpaceX has changed space travel for ever.