SpaceX—The Future of Space Travel
In the beginning there was NASA. Now that the government is trimming their budgets, private corporations are entering the space race. The leader in the private sector is Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). This corporation started doing business in 2002 and have come a long way in the industry with the help and direction from CEO. Elon Musk (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, 2015). What makes this company unique is that they buy all of their materials and make all the parts for their rockets and landing pads in the United States. With currently $5 Billion in contracts, they have nearly 50 plus launches in their flight manifest. Their founder was a former Papal entrepreneur …show more content…
On the fourth launch the Falcon 1 achieved orbit on September 28, 2008. While in orbit, it took high contrast pictures and recorded data that were used in the preparation for launch five. On July 14, 2009, this rocket delivered the Malaysian Razak SAT to orbit. The production cost for this rocket was $7 million (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, 2015). Their next rocket design was the Falcon 9. SpaceX expanded and improved the design of the Falcon 1 to create the Falcon 9. With 17 successful launches under their belt, they received a $1.6 Billion contract with NASA to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) in a total twelve trips. The rocket system is based upon a two stage system. The first stage has nine …show more content…
It debuted in 2011. This rocket is designed to be a reusable development vehicle. It makes vertical landings and takeoffs that make it a great candidate for recycling and keeping the cost low. SpaceX began testing in 2012 with 8 successful takeoffs and landings by the end of the year. The first flight only went 1.8 m. The 3rd flight gained a few more meters with a height of 40m. The 6th flight reached the height of 325m. The 8th flight reached the height of 744m. SpaceX continues to improve the Grasshopper in order to go even higher (“SpaceX,” Wikipedia,
In the beginning there was NASA. Now that the government is trimming their budgets, private corporations are entering the space race. The leader in the private sector is Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). This corporation started doing business in 2002 and have come a long way in the industry with the help and direction from CEO. Elon Musk (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, 2015). What makes this company unique is that they buy all of their materials and make all the parts for their rockets and landing pads in the United States. With currently $5 Billion in contracts, they have nearly 50 plus launches in their flight manifest. Their founder was a former Papal entrepreneur …show more content…
On the fourth launch the Falcon 1 achieved orbit on September 28, 2008. While in orbit, it took high contrast pictures and recorded data that were used in the preparation for launch five. On July 14, 2009, this rocket delivered the Malaysian Razak SAT to orbit. The production cost for this rocket was $7 million (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, 2015). Their next rocket design was the Falcon 9. SpaceX expanded and improved the design of the Falcon 1 to create the Falcon 9. With 17 successful launches under their belt, they received a $1.6 Billion contract with NASA to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) in a total twelve trips. The rocket system is based upon a two stage system. The first stage has nine …show more content…
It debuted in 2011. This rocket is designed to be a reusable development vehicle. It makes vertical landings and takeoffs that make it a great candidate for recycling and keeping the cost low. SpaceX began testing in 2012 with 8 successful takeoffs and landings by the end of the year. The first flight only went 1.8 m. The 3rd flight gained a few more meters with a height of 40m. The 6th flight reached the height of 325m. The 8th flight reached the height of 744m. SpaceX continues to improve the Grasshopper in order to go even higher (“SpaceX,” Wikipedia,