SpaceX Falcon 1 Launch
SpaceX just received a $1.6B contract to take over as a supplier to the International Space Station following the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2010. It’s so exciting to see what SpaceX has been able to acomplish as a company founded only a few years ago by a physicist turned web entrepreneur.
I’ll try to limit my gushing enthusiasm a little, but I’d like to at least express how incredibly exciting it is to see some success from companies like this. They set outrageously ambitious goals for themselves and still manage to succeed, despite the skepticism of the public, lack of funding, and the magnitude of the challenge they set for themselves. Between SpaceX, Armadillo Aerospace, and Scaled there is so much high-paced space development in the private sector these days.
As an engineer, the projects these folks are working on are what makes the world go round. Building toasters or televisions doesn’t really do much for me, but the thought of being part of something this ambitious and revolutionary makes me glad I’ve put up with all the engineering crap these last few years. We are entering on a new space renaissance, possibly of a larger scale than that seen during the 60’s with the Apollo Program, assuming the economic and political climate of the next few years doesn’t stifle it.
Anyway, I wish SpaceX the best and congratulate them on being awarded this contract. I can’t wait to finish up my degree and begin working projects like this.
