TOS Blog: Daily Commentary from an Objectivist Perspective

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Congratulations, SpaceX!

Posted by Ari Armstrong at 2:28 pm ET

“There is so much hope riding on that rocket.” That’s what Elon Musk, cofounder and CEO of SpaceX, said this morning after his company successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket, now carrying supplies to the International Space Station.

Musk was talking about the hopes of the 1,800 employees of SpaceX, but his statement applies more broadly to everyone who embraces human achievement. This launch holds hope for a future in which human beings commercialize space and homestead the solar system.

As Musk elaborates:

This mission heralds the dawn of a new era of space exploration, one in which there is a significant commercial space element. It is like the advent of the Internet in the mid-1990s when commercial companies entered what was originally a government endeavor. That move dramatically accelerated the pace of advancement and made the Internet accessible to the mass market. I think we’re at a similar inflection point for space. I hope and I believe that this mission will be historic in marking that turning point towards a rapid advancement in space transportation technology.

We wish SpaceX great success in this and future missions.

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Related:

Image: SpaceX

Posted in: Science and Technology

Comments are welcome so long as they are civil.
  • Anonymous

    Elon Musk giving a tour of the remarkable Hawthorne facility. According to the person uploading the YouTube video, it was made in early 2010. Elons Tour of SpaceX HD

    This video of a press-conference about the Falcon Heavy rocket is also interesting. He’s seriously aiming to bring down the cost per lb to low earth orbit. SpaceX – Falcon Heavy Press Conference

  • Anonymous

    Update: In comments to the YouTube video of Musk’s tour of SpaceX, someone disagreed with the uploader’s “early 2010″ date. It could have been several years earlier; I don’t know.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t understand why this is being hailed as a private
    company, when about 80% is being funded by NASA, which
    is funded by taxpayers.

    This may indeed be a great achievement, but lets’s be honest.
    Elon Musk’s also received  a $465 million government loan
    for his electric car company, Tesla-not to mention the
    big tax credit for purchasers of electric vehicles.

    Musk said he didn’t need this loan, and basically doesn’t
    believe in government loans, but he took it because we don’t
    have a tax on carbon emissions and is a believer in
    manmade global warming.

    This guy may be very creative and productive, but he seems
    to be looking for an easy way.  Just what does he believe.