D'kian Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 With due apologies to Cox & Forkum (scroll about a third down), SpaceX successfully launched a satellite for a paying customer yesterday, the Falcon I rocket performed as expected. That's two shots into orbit for the startup low-cost space launcher. The significance is that SpaceX is trying to sell cheaper access to space. This has been tried before and everyone else had failed. Moreover SpaceX's CEO, Elon Musk, is more ambitious. His Falcon IX rocket can loft a manned capsule (Dragon) into orbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 A good start, now they just have to keep going till it becomes obvious that NASA can't keep up! Of course then the Government will just apply force, more force that is, to keep it's status as the sole explorers of space... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'kian Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 A good start, now they just have to keep going till it becomes obvious that NASA can't keep up! With the Falcon IX and the Falcon IX Heavy SpaceX can orbit anything from small, low-altitude satellites to big comsats at Clarke Orbit, plus the Dragon capsule. Couple that with Robert Bigelow's plan for a low Earth orbit hotel and now we're talking. Of course then the Government will just apply force, more force that is, to keep it's status as the sole explorers of space... I don't think so. NASA is a budget pariah for both parties, perhaps more so to the Democrats (they of the original "We can put a man on the Moon but we cannot feed the hungry" saying). Besides the military is very interested in launch systems, and the military has always relied on private contractors. If worse come to worst, the private companies can move manufacturing to willing countries, and launch operations to any of a myriad islands on the equator (or even to floating, stateless plattforms). it would even be to their profit for equatorial orbits, as they'd take advantage of the full rotational speed of the planet for launch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexandros Posted September 4, 2009 Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 Pretty cool! I have only recently heard of SpaceX and am really excited about their success. Another company that I have been following relatively closely is XCOR Aerospace. Bill Whittle at PJTV did a piece on them a little over a month ago: http://www.pjtv.com/video/Afterburner_with...ne_Before/2187/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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