Elon Musk has revolutionized rocket launches to such a degree that his company is miles ahead of any other competitor — or even any other country.
The outspoken CEO of SpaceX recently made a claim about his company’s dominance in the global launch market. On the Joe Rogan podcast, Musk offhandedly asserted SpaceX’s near-monopoly on orbital deliveries.
“SpaceX launches 90% of all satellite mass to orbit,” Musk said. “So if you take all of Earth’s rocket launches, my company has a 90% market share of Earth.”
Putting the rest of the world into perspective, Musk added, “China does about 5% and the rest of the world – including the Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop, and everyone – does 5%.”
These figures represent an astounding concentration of launch capability within a single private company. While SpaceX’s high launch cadence is well-documented, Musk’s claim underscores the sheer mass they are lifting into orbit compared to other players. This dominance stems from a combination of factors, including reusable rocket technology (Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy), competitive pricing, and a rapid launch turnaround. The success of the Falcon 9, in particular, has disrupted the launch market, forcing legacy aerospace companies and government agencies to rethink their strategies.
But what’s more incredible is how Musk has managed to achieve this dominance. He’d founded SpaceX all the way back in 2002 to make humanity multiplanetary at a time when the US space program was stagnating and few other countries were interested in space travel. Musk faced many reverses — at one point, SpaceX was one failed launch away from going bankrupt. But the company persevered, and such was Musk’s execution that he’s not only created a viable company, but has seemingly created an entire industry. SpaceX is now miles ahead of the US government, US private players, and all world governments put together. And given how critical spacefaring could be for the future of humanity — and global geopolitics — the rest of the world needs to pull up its socks to catch up.