SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) uses a logo inspired by a rocket trajectory.
The history of SpaceX began in the early years of this century when one of the founders of the PayPal payment system Elon Musk had a dream of an expedition to Mars.
In 2001, Elon Musk developed the concept of Mars Oasis, a project to deliver a miniature experimental greenhouse and grow plants on Mars. After that, Musk came up with the idea that he could start a company that would produce the rockets he needed.
SpaceX’s first location was a warehouse in El Segundo, California.
In 2003, the company purchased a former rocket range in McGregor, Texas, and converted it into its test facility.
In January 2005, SpaceX bought 10 percent of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, a British company that develops spacecraft.
In May of that year, the company signed a $100 million contract with the U.S. Air Force’s Rocket and Space Systems Center to launch military satellites into orbit.
On August 18, 2006, SpaceX won a contract with NASA forcargo delivery to the International Space Station.
In 2013, SpaceX received permission from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to build a private launch facility for launch vehicles in Cameron County east of Brownsville, Texas, on the Gulf Coast.
In March 2020, NASA announced the signing of a contract with SpaceX under the Gateway Logistics Services program to supply the future circumlunar orbital station.
On May 30, 2020, SpaceX successfully launched two NASA astronauts in the Crew Dragon spacecraft from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. this launch was the first launch of a spacecraft with astronauts on board by a commercial company.
What is SpaceX?
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, is an American space technology company headquartered in Hawthorne, California, USA. It was founded in 2002 by PayPal co-founder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. The company develops and manufactures most of the components for its products itself.
The fact that the company was founded by Elon Musk casts some light at the SpaceX logo. If you compare it with the logo of another Musk’s brand, Tesla, you will notice the overall approach and the typography are somewhat similar.
In both cases, the brand has an icon featuring a stylized letter. In the case of the Tesla logo, this letter is the initial, while in the case of the SpaceX logo, this letter is the final one.
The proportions and shape of the glyphs featured in the SpaceX wordmark look pretty much like those of the Tesla wordmark. This is especially noticeable for the “S” – the overall structure of the letter is the same, although, in the SpaceX wordmark, its small elements are slightly more rounded. This can imply that SpaceX deals with higher speeds.
According to the brand’s explanation, the “X” was inspired by the trajectory of a rocket launched into space. This is exactly what the gray stroke at the forefront represents. The blue diagonal bar in the background has a calmer and more utilitarian style.
The “X” can be used both as part of the primary SpaceX logo or as a standalone icon.
The futuristic uppercase lettering from the primary SpaceX logo is set in a custom extended sans-serif font with some parts of the cutout. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Bank Gothic Std Medium, or Morris Sans Std Medium, but with some significant modifications of the characters’ contours.
As for the color palette of SpaceX’s visual identity, it is based on a combination of blue a gray, which represents the professionalism and reliability of the company, pointing out such qualities as progressiveness, confidence, and innovative approach to all stages of the business.