SpaceX build spacecraft and, what's more, they're pretty damn good at it. They have an ever expanding range of rockets to suit your every need. The main players include: Falcon 1: SpaceX began modestly (well, as modestly as one can when building rockets) with the Falcon 1 - named after the Millennium Falcon. This was by no means the biggest or most advanced rocket ever, at 21 metres tall, but most of its innovations were cost-based. Elon Musk sees the future of space travel hanging in the balancing of the books. Here was a rocket designed to get payloads into space more cheaply than ever before. It was powered by one of SpaceX's own inventions: The Merlin. The Merlin: The Merlin engine was designed to go hand in hand with the Falcon family of spacecraft and is one of the most advanced in the world. With a thrust-to-weight ratio (i.e. how much it can lift compared to its weight) of 165:1 it outstrips the competition by a country mile. It also powers the Falcon 9 Falcon 9: Following the success of the Falcon 1, which took SpaceX into orbit, in 2008 the Falcon 9 ushered them into the pro arena. At 68 metres tall, the Falcon 9 is over three times the size of its predecessor. It is capable of carrying 13 tons of gear into orbit. This was a serious step up and showed the world that SpaceX were a force to be reckoned with. Falcon Heavy: The Falcon Heavy, due to launch in 2016, is as though someone gave the Falcon 9 steroids and a Red Bull. This beast has three "first stages" (the bit with the engines) and a grand total of 27 Merlin engines. When it eventually launches, it should be able to take up to 2,000 tons into orbit, more than twice the amount of any other rocket, and will do it at about a third of the price that the ULA (the United Launch Alliance) currently offers for half the payload. Dragon: The Dragon is about the size of a Land Rover and is designed to transport cargo into space. It is launched by the Falcon rockets and is partially reusable. It is currently contracted by NASA to ferry cargo to the ISS and its two holds (pressurised and unpressurised) can carry about 6 tons of gear.