Have Elon Musk’s SpaceX Rockets Ever Made It Into Space?

SpaceX kicked off 2025 by making headlines after two of the company's rockets exploded shortly after being launched.

The early March explosion even closed airspace and grounded planes after it went up in flames, prompting concerns over the company's ability to send a rocket into the atmosphere and beyond.

However, when it comes to whether or not SpaceX has ever been successful when it comes to sending a rocket to space, the answer may surprise you. Despite many public mishaps, the news hasn't always been so bad for SpaceX.

Continue reading to learn more about the history of the company's space program and what it plans to do about the sudden string of losses.

SpaceX is a private company that makes rocket ships that sometimes fly NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). In fact, the company made its first delivery among the stars in 2020, according to Space.com, when it dropped two astronauts off using the SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Since then, the company has made additional flights, both on behalf of commercial travelers and NASA, and is even scheduled to bring home some astronauts on the Dragon in March.

SpaceX Starship flights may be grounded for a while after two 2025 voyages — one in January and a second in March — went up in flames. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has told SpaceX that it will once again need to do an international mishap investigation to find out why the two tests ended in a fireball.

According to Space.com, a mishap investigation is needed to ensure public safety and to fix the ongoing issues.

The FAA even addressed the investigation request in a statement, shared by Space.com. "The FAA will be involved in every step of the SpaceX-led mishap investigation process and must approve SpaceX's final report, including any corrective actions," the statement read.

It's worth noting that the results of the January investigation have yet to be shared.

SpaceX addressed the back-to-back losses in a statement in an attempt to reassure the public.

"Starship flew within a designated launch corridor to safeguard the public both on the ground, on water and in the air," SpaceX said in a statement. "Following the anomaly, SpaceX teams immediately began coordination with the FAA, ATO (air traffic control), and other safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses."

You would think that with rocket ships exploding in the air, someone would've been hit by falling debris. But, so far, the company has lucked out in that regard. Unfortunately, SpaceX can't say the same for its actual employees, who have a long and sorted history of workplace injuries.

According to a 2023 piece from Reuters, SpaceX has received 600 injury reports from employees since 2014.

While the severity has varied greatly and includes everything from minor cuts to a traumatic brain injury, at least one employee has been killed while on the job.

Reports note that those injuries seem largely related to the company's failure to provide employees with adequate safety training and tools, something that has hopefully been fixed since the initial investigative report was filed.