Historic Mission to International Space Station Confirmed for Private Spacecraft

[Conservative]

Historic Mission to International Space Station Confirmed for Private Spacecraft

Private spaceflight company Space Exploration (SpaceX) has received the final go-ahead from NASA to send its Dragon cargo craft on a landmark first mission to the International Space Station in early February -- a flight that would make it the first private company to dock with the space station.

A successful docking would be a dramatic validation of NASA's plan to replace the now-retired space shuttle fleet with cheaper, private vehicles.

SpaceX will charge NASA at least $1.6 billion for 12 cargo shipments to the ISS, or $133 million per flight. Upon successful completion of the mission, SpaceX will receive an additional $396 million from the space agency, as detailed in an agreement between NASA and a handful of companies hoping to build next-gen space taxis.

The space shuttle costs exceed $1 billion per flight.

looks like we might not need the Russians for too long after all.

 

[Mr. H.]

$133 MIL/ flight? Sounds like a bargain.

 

[Old Rocks]

Standard path. Government does the initial exploration and basic development, then private business takes over and does the job once the it becomes routine. NASA will be freed up to do more of the exploration work, rather than the grunt routine work in low orbit that private enterprise can now handle.

From the Corp of Discovery to the later Fremont and Powell expeditions, and many others, it was government that did the initial exploration, and the entrapenuers that used the lessons learned to open up the new territories.

 

[Mr. H.]

And in frontiers that were blazed by entrepreneurial private enterprise, the government has stepped in to quash it. Such success built from scratch is no longer allowed to monitarily benefet the true risk-takers.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Is that thing being flown by "union" astronauts?

 

[Salt Jones]

Is that thing being flown by "union" astronauts?

Yep. I interviewed for the Radiography Inspector Supervisor position a couple years ago but lost out to a friend of mine. He loves the company.

 

[JimBowie1958]

And in frontiers that were blazed by entrepreneurial private enterprise, the government has stepped in to quash it. Such success built from scratch is no longer allowed to monitarily benefet the true risk-takers.

What frontiers do you speak of?

 

[Mr. H.]

And in frontiers that were blazed by entrepreneurial private enterprise, the government has stepped in to quash it. Such success built from scratch is no longer allowed to monitarily benefet the true risk-takers.

What frontiers do you speak of?

Hyrdocarbons. Crude oil. Natural gas.

 

[JimBowie1958]

And in frontiers that were blazed by entrepreneurial private enterprise, the government has stepped in to quash it. Such success built from scratch is no longer allowed to monitarily benefet the true risk-takers.

What frontiers do you speak of?

Hyrdocarbons. Crude oil. Natural gas.

OK; thought you were talking about geographic frontiers, almost all of which were financed by national governments until private enterprize made them commercially feasible.

 

[Mr. H.]

What frontiers do you speak of?

Hyrdocarbons. Crude oil. Natural gas.

OK; thought you were talking about geographic frontiers, almost all of which were financed by national governments until private enterprize made them commercially feasible.

Commercially feasible in the manner of...

 

[ScienceRocks]

Now we can aim for the moon, which has trillions of dollars in natural resources. Newt is right on the money about space!

 

[FA_Q2]

Good news

 

[JimBowie1958]

Hyrdocarbons. Crude oil. Natural gas.

OK; thought you were talking about geographic frontiers, almost all of which were financed by national governments until private enterprize made them commercially feasible.

Commercially feasible in the manner of...

Establishing the means and logistical support for private business endeavers, much like what happened when the French developed the fur trade in Canada. The state established treaties with the tribes, built forts that had trading posts for logistical support and charted the waterways, etc. Private capital then went in and got the fur that went to sale in the markets.