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SpaceX Launch Achieves Geostationary Transfer Orbit
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket this afternoon in a bid to deliver a large commercial satellite into geostationary orbit. The flight was successful: "Approximately 185 seconds into flight, Falcon 9’s second stage’s single Merlin vacuum engine ignited to begin a five minute, 20 second burn that delivered the SES-8 satellite into its parking orbit. Eighteen minutes after injection into the parking orbit, the second stage engine relit for just over one minute to carry the SES-8 satellite to its final geostationary transfer orbit. The restart of the Falcon 9 second stage is a requirement for all geostationary transfer missions." This is a significant milestone for SpaceX, and it fulfills another of the three objectives set forth by the U.S. Air Force to certify SpaceX flights for National Security Space missions.
If the national security of a country is on the shoulder of the private industry, then that country will be hold ransom to the private corporation which owns that industry.
The United States of America is in danger of falling into that trap.
If the United States rely too much on SpaceX for its space-launch, SpaceX could easily raise its price 100-fold and the tax-payers will end up having to cough up the dough.
And the danger doesn't end there either.
What if one day Russia or Iran or China ends up owning SpaceX ?
What kind of national security are we going to have, if nightmarish scenario turn into reality ?
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
The media is totally biased in its coverage... the old-space industry launches satellites all the time. Yet, when SpaceX does it, there is an endless stream of news articles announcing the fact. When will the media stop ganging up and play fair?
Cheap is irrelevant when your track record is as poor as SpaceX's and your launch rate is a fraction of that needed to capture a significant chunk of the market as SpaceX's is. Companies launching quarter of billion dollar satellites don't shop solely on price like you buy pants.
Despite the endless hype that Musk trots out (and which the fanbois, being largely ignorant of the realities of both space and business, lap up like mothers milk), SpaceX is still very much a marginal player. The potential is there, but they aren't yet.