After being ousted from PayPal in late 2000, Elon Musk turned his attention to space, and a profound realization that NASA had no concrete plan for a human mission to Mars sparked his ambition. He initially funded projects like the Mars Oasis, an attempt to grow a plant on Martian soil, but abandoned it after his efforts to buy Russian ICBMs were priced outrageously, leading him to conclude that a low launch cost was essential for a sustainable Mars program. In March 2002, Musk founded SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation), investing $90 million of his $180 million PayPal fortune to get the venture started. He quickly assembled a founding team of aerospace engineers, including engine expert Tom Mueller and avionics specialist Hans Koenigsmann, to develop the company's first rocket, the Falcon 1. Gwynne Shotwell joined in August 2002, and with this core group, SpaceX set out to radically reduce space launch costs, laying the groundwork for its future success in commercial space transport.