---
title: "Elon Musk’s SpaceX is Leading the Launch Race With 45 Percent of Market Cap"
description: "The data indicates that SpaceX's reusable rocket policy seems to be working, and showcases just how successful the last few years have been for the company."
date: "2017-07-14"
modified: "2017-07-14"
authors:
  - name: "Abby Norman"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/abby"
url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musks-spacex-is-leading-the-launch-race-with-45-percent-of-market-cap"
categories:
  - "Elon Musk"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "The Industrialists"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "reusable rockets"
  - "space x"
---

# Elon Musk’s SpaceX is Leading the Launch Race With 45 Percent of Market Cap

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/35231791780_856155205d_k.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/35231791780/" target="\_blank"\>SpaceX/Flickr\</a\>\</em\>*

## SpaceX by the Numbers

On Thursday, Elon Musk posted a graph on Twitter that compares the percentage of launches different parties invested in space have achieved worldwide. [Musk's company, ](<http://www.spacex.com/>)[SpaceX,](<http://www.spacex.com/>) is the leading horse in the race. He attributes SpaceX's exponential rise successful launches to their innovative tactic of reusing rockets, stating:

Other orgs shd also develop reusable orbital rockets. If an airplane co had reusable airplanes, buying single use airplanes wd seem crazy. [pic.twitter.com/OJotlGmPHt](<https://t.co/OJotlGmPHt>)

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [July 13, 2017](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/885635670315642881>)

We can derive two main pieces of information from the graph: at this time, SpaceX has supplanted every other private and governmental space agency in the U.S. — an impressive feat considering the venture is entirely privately funded. Other major companies, like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, get billions of dollars in grants each year — despite a profound lack of launches, as Musk pointed out.

Worth noting that Boeing/Lockheed ("Other US" on chart) get a billion dollar annual subsidy even if they launch nothing. SpaceX does not. [https://t.co/Mi27ZnYLRJ](<https://t.co/Mi27ZnYLRJ>)

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [July 13, 2017](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/885631423306006528>)

The graph also indicates that the last few years have been stellar for SpaceX: their market cap of launches rose from around 5 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2017 — an 800 percent increase over four years. And 2017 may prove to be their highest performing year yet, as the company beat its own record for [most rockets launched,](<https://futurism.com/spacex-just-successfully-launched-the-third-falcon-9-in-less-than-two-weeks>) propelling nine into space thus far (compared to the six they launched in 2016). They also achieved a historic first when they [successfully recycled a spacecraft](<https://futurism.com/spacex-just-made-history-with-the-first-launch-and-landing-of-a-previously-used-falcon-9-booster>).

## A Space Revolution

Elon Musk's achievements with SpaceX have shifted the paradigm of space travel. His work continues to demonstrate the illogical nature of only using rockets once, and provides a shining example of what can happen when a private company exceeds governmental space agencies. By doing so, he has taken the most significant steps of any company in history [towards ](<https://futurism.com/space-flight-is-finally-going-to-be-affordable-for-everyone>)[democratizing space](<https://futurism.com/space-flight-is-finally-going-to-be-affordable-for-everyone>), thereby making it more accessible to all of us.

With such a track record, there's a fair amount of confidence moving forward in terms of the viability of his upcoming plans concerning space. Over the next few years — in addition to launching rockets with an ever increasing frequency — Musk plans to [launch 4,000 satellites](<https://futurism.com/spacex-just-laid-out-a-plan-to-give-everyone-internet-access>) to provide the world with unilateral internet coverage, and continue work on his mission to terraform Mars ([new and improved plans](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-to-reveal-major-changes-to-plans-for-colonizing-mars>) for which are reportedly coming soon).

Musk's reach extends beyond space related ventures, though. Recently he announced via Twitter that he plans to build a [lithium battery farm ](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/883169447472750592>)to solve South Australia's energy problems — a project he vowed to complete in 100 days or it's free of charge.