SpaceX's in-house engine bet (2002–2008)
Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. Frustrated by slow, expensive legacy suppliers, he built the Merlin engine in-house. Falcon 1 reached orbit in September 2008 after three failed attempts.
SpaceX proved it could build its own engines and rockets faster than incumbents.
Vertical integration became SpaceX's core strategy, eventually undercutting the launch market.
Mach's Exquadrum acquisition mirrors this: owning the solid rocket motor bottleneck to control production and cost.
