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PayPal Founder Wants To Launch Satellites

Posted by Hemos on from the go-up-up-up-going-up-up-up dept.

XNormal writes "Elon Musk, founder of Zip2 and PayPal is planning to build a launcher for small satellites. Much of his personal fortune come from the IPO of PayPal and subsequent sale to eBay. The amount of money he plans to spend on this project is not much more than Denis Tito spent on his space station visit. The difference is that this venture actually tries to do something productive. Elon is also behind the Life to Mars mission."

2 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. And of course.. by Large+Green+Mallard · · Score: 5, Interesting

    He won't have to get approval for his space mission because it's not a space flight, it's an interstratum transport venture, which isn't regulated like space flights are

    (cf: PayPal not being a bank and thus have responsibilities to the FED and FDIC :)

  2. Re:Productive? by nomadic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Agreed. The opposition to Tito's flight from the slashdot crowd is mainly jealousy that they didn't have a chance to do the same thing. The opposition from the NASA crowd is over the fact that someone from outside their little clique had the gall to get himself up there. Bunch of overbearing elitists with square haircuts who forget who pays their salaries; space was supposed to be opened up for everyone, not just them.

    The ironic thing is Tito is a former NASA engineer, with the same background as the many of the other astronauts.