New Rocket Company, Space-X, to Launch Air Force Satellite, page 1

posted on Nov, 22 2005 @ 07:22 PM

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Space-X, a startup rocket company, has gotten $200 million in satellite launch contracts without ever having launched a commercial payload. Space-X is reducing costs by reusing the first stage of their rockets after recovering them from an oceanic splashdown and by using a launch crew of only 25 people. They have additional rockets in development that will lift heavier payloads and they are also working on a new rocket motor, the Merlin 2, when completed it will be the largest rocket motor on the planet.

www.newscientistspace.com
A fledgling rocket company will attempt its first commercial launch on Friday 25 November, carrying a satellite for the US air force. Space-X will challenge larger, more established launch companies with a simple, reusable rocket design.

Lift-off for the Falcon 1 rocket is scheduled for 2100 GMT on Friday from the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the western Pacific Ocean.

If everything goes to plan, Falcon 1 will deploy the FalconSat-2 satellite for the US Air Force Academy. The satellite will investigate how the Earth's ionosphere interferes with the Global Positioning System (GPS) and military satellite communications.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

I love to see new companies cropping up in the space industry. I believe these startups are the means to really kickstart the next drive into space. The era of big government space projects being the only way into space is over. More and more of these space industry startups are going to be competing for these launch contracts, and in my opinion, competition will only make things better in the long run. Trim the fat from these programs and make lean, mean launch machines!

[edit on 22-11-2005 by BomSquad]

[edit on 11/26/05 by FredT]

NinjaCodeMonkey

posted on Nov, 25 2005 @ 01:46 AM

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It's on Saturday now because of that Missile Defense test the Army is doing. I hope everything goes well for them, they have some of the top people working there.

svenglezz

posted on Nov, 26 2005 @ 09:28 AM

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just wondering if they have Fancy~pants.......clothing, watches etc. (like NASA), would love a X-Space watch

bet they look cooler then the NASA watch.

Guess we will see many more small co.'s like this in the future, can't wait to see someone do this from there backyard.

Y'r Canadaian friend,
Sven