Public transcript

Elon Musk: SpaceX is about taking the fiction out of science fiction

By: CNBC Television
Length: 5 min
Language: English
Text from: the video's captions
Transcribed: 13 October 2026

Read the full transcript Open on YouTube

Notes in English.

Summary

Elon Musk speaks at what appears to be a SpaceX-related event, reflecting on the company's growth from a small warehouse startup in El Segundo to a record-breaking IPO. He explains that he originally gave SpaceX less than a 10% chance of success, but felt it had to be tried so humanity could become a spacefaring civilization. He describes SpaceX's mission as making science fiction real and offering space travel to anyone, not just a few astronauts.

Key points

Musk credits Gwynne Shotwell as an incredible partner and one of the first people to join SpaceX.
SpaceX started in a warehouse in El Segundo and is now going public with the largest IPO ever, according to Musk.
Musk gave SpaceX less than a 10% chance of succeeding when he founded it.
He believed a new company was necessary because existing aerospace firms were not pursuing technology to make life multi-planetary.
SpaceX's mission is to take the fiction out of science fiction and create an inspiring future for everyone.
Musk says SpaceX wants to take anyone who wants to go to the Moon, Mars, or elsewhere in the solar system, not just a few astronauts.
He expresses confidence that the SpaceX team will achieve this goal.
Musk notes there will always be problems on Earth to solve, but people also need things that excite them about the future.

Questions it answers

00:00Opening remarks

Who does Musk credit as an early partner at SpaceX?

He thanks Gwynne Shotwell, calling her an incredible partner and one of the first people to join the company.

Gwynne Shotwell was one of SpaceX's earliest hires.
Musk speaks at an event, apparently marking SpaceX going public.

00:59From warehouse to IPO

How did SpaceX start and how far has it come?

Musk says the company began in a warehouse in El Segundo and is now going public with the largest IPO ever, something he would never have believed.

SpaceX started in a warehouse in El Segundo.
Musk calls it the largest IPO ever.

02:30Why SpaceX was founded

Why did Musk start SpaceX despite expecting failure?

He gave it less than a 10% chance of success, but believed a new company was needed or humanity would never become a truly spacefaring civilization.

Musk gave SpaceX less than a 10% chance of succeeding.
He felt existing aerospace companies weren't pursuing multi-planetary technology.

03:38The mission for everyone

What does Musk want SpaceX to offer ordinary people?

He wants SpaceX to take anyone who wants to go to the Moon, Mars, or beyond in the solar system — not just a few astronauts — and says he is confident the team will do it.

The mission is to take the fiction out of science fiction.
Musk says SpaceX wants to take you, the viewer, to the Moon and Mars.

Notes

Origins of SpaceX

Elon Musk recalls SpaceX starting as a "little company" in a warehouse in El Segundo.
He credits Gwynne Shotwell as an incredible partner and one of the first people to join the company.
He marvels that the company is now going public with what he calls the largest IPO ever.

Early Odds of Failure

Musk says he gave SpaceX less than a 10% chance of succeeding at all.
He told people the company was probably going to fail, but argued it should still be tried.
His reasoning: without a new company entering space, humanity would never become a truly spacefaring civilization.

The Mission

Musk says existing aerospace companies built rockets but were not pursuing the technology needed to make life multi-planetary.
SpaceX's purpose is to "take the fiction out of science fiction" and make the exciting futures people have read about real.
The goal is to take anyone who wants to go to the Moon, Mars, or anywhere in the solar system — and maybe beyond — not just a few astronauts.
Musk directly addresses viewers: SpaceX wants to take *you* to the Moon and Mars.

Confidence and Outlook

Musk says he is now confident the SpaceX team will accomplish this.
He acknowledges there will always be problems on Earth that should be solved, but people also need things that excite them about the future.

Text from the video's own captions. Summary and notes written by AI from the transcript, so check anything important against the recording.