Elon Musk's Countdown: What's At Stake For Him And SpaceX?

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private rocket blasted off Friday on a supply run to the International Space Station. The unmanned Falcon rocket is owned by the SpaceX company. The Dragon capsule on board is filled with more than a ton of space station supplies and experiments. NASA is paying SpaceX to deliver cargo to the space station, and bring back science samples and other goods. This will be the company’s third delivery mission.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, he has turned a pipe dream — an all-electric car company — into a viable business, in a high-risk, high-cost industry.

Elon Musk didn't know much about outer space. Yet he's built a company that competes with NASA, SpaceX.

Elon Musk has long considered Tesla Motors Incthe bold, nimble answer to the auto industry's cautious culture. Now the electric car maker's top executive has extended his help to another industrial giant: Boeing Co.