Space Pioneer Musk Betting $100 Million; Bankrolls Rocket Ship; Entrepreneur's already journeyed light years in a varied business career.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Publication: Investor's Business Daily

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Investor's Business Daily, Inc.

Byline: BRIAN DEAGON

For an entrepreneur who launched one of the riskiest ventures ever -- a rocket ship maker called SpaceX -- Elon Musk looks calm.

From his modest office in El Segundo, Calif., where a seven-story, two-stage rocket is being readied to launch a Navy satellite, Musk speaks in a gentle voice that nonetheless conveys his excitement about what's ahead.

His first launch, of SpaceX's Falcon 1, is set to take place at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base in January. He's building a second and much larger rocket, Falcon 5.

"I think I'll end up personally investing about $100 million in SpaceX," he said. "That's a lot of dough for one person, but I'm feeling pretty comfortable."

The...

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