CNN 2012-05-26

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3.2.1.0 A launch of this Space X falcon¹ 9 rocket has NASA’s turns to the private sect² to resupply the international space station.

 

What you’re watching is the beginning of a new era in space exploration. It’s the first time a commercial rocket, one owned by a private company, has taken off for the international space station. Space X falcon 9 rocket is carrying 1300 pounds of food, cloths and supplies. The company has a contract with NASA worth nearly 400 million dollars. And it’s trying to show that private companies can get to the ISS safely and efficiently³. J explains the shift in space exploration.

 

No one’s going to any planets right now, cuz our own vehicles can’t take anybody to a planet. So all of these companies are trying to develop their own rockets, their own spacecrafts, in order to take US astronauts to the international space station. What NASA decided⁴ to do is to get out of the low earth orbit business. How do you do that? You start turning over to commercial companies, he flights to the international space station, taking crew, taking cargo⁵, and eliminating the shuttle program. It was the only way that NASA was going to be able to move out and doing things that NASA does best which is to do deep space exploration. So now you have several commercial companies, competing for contracts for taking cargo to the international space station, competing for contracts to ultimately take astronauts to the international space station. The only place to go right now until their space hotels, until their private space stations is the international space station. So you know these companies really need NASA’s money and NASA’s seed money in order to develop their space pro⁶, and at this point, the real only customer out there to go to the international space station, you know, is NASA. Space X is saying that it can charge NASA 20 million dollars as a seed to fly astronauts to the international space station. Right now because NASA has no way to get there but using Russian’s and their Soviet’s rockets, NASA is paying 50-60 millions dollars as a seed to the Russians. So a big difference in how much it’s gonna cost if someone like Space X or *, US commercial companies start flying air shuttle, it’ll bring the cost way down.

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