Tuesday, May 22, 2012

SpaceX Successfully Launches Capsule for ISS Meet-Up

SpaceX has just carried out a successful launch of their Falcon9 rocket and Dragon capsule to rendezvous with the International Space Station:


 If you watch until the end, you'll see their whole staff cheering in jubilation at the great success of this launch. This is now the dawn of a new era in private spaceflight.

I think that once ISRO moves onto the GSLV-MarkIII, it would be great if they spun off their proven workhorse PSLV to a private sector partner, so that India can also benefit from private commercial launch capabilities. Personally, I feel that a private launch provider would be more agile, more geared towards marketplace demands, more prone to streamlining operations to pare down costs, and even more inclined towards smallscale innovation. The end result would be a net benefit for Indian access to space.

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