ShareToday, September 28, 2008, a rocket developed by the private startup company SpaceX was launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific, and eight minutes later passed above the International Space Station.
Although NASA is quite capable of putting rockets into space, and Burt Rutan’s cleverly designed space plane Space Ship One previously reached the edge of space, this is the first privately owned company to develop and launch a rocket into space. It was actually the fourth attempt by SpaceX, which has pursued the goal with admirable persistence.
Here’s a video:
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To-XOPgaGsQ
Finally NASA has some private competition (and a new supplier, since NASA is a customer of SpaceX). As Burt Rutan, designer of Space Ship One, has explained, the rise of a private space industry is very important for the future of space exploration:
Link: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/burt_rutan_sees_the_future_of_space.html
SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk, who also founded a company that merged with Paypal and is chairman of electric car company Tesla Motors. SpaceX’s vision is to make space transportation ten times cheaper and more reliable. SpaceX’s rocket already is far less expensive than any equivalent government program: just $7.9 million. A portion of the rocket is designed to be reused after each launch, reducing potential cost further.
The door to space has just opened a bit wider …
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