Okay, unlike last time, I'm right on top of this one. PayPal founder Elon Musk founded the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation in 2002, "developing a family of launch vehicles which will ultimately reduce the cost and increase the reliability of space access by a factor of ten." Gotta give the man credit for having a much, much better looking rocket than Jeff Bezos.
More credit (appropriately enough) where credit is due.
First, can't say he exaggerates: Of the 3/20 launch of Falcon 1, he says, "The launch was not perfect, but certainly very good." (This is actually from the SpaceX blog. Blogs rule.)
Actually, PayPal's performance kicks Amazon's ass. Bezos doesn't give details about his January launch, but observers speculate it got maybe 500, 1000 FEET tops. I emphasize feet because Musk's rocket got 200 MILES in the air.
Falcon flew far beyond the "edge" of space, typically thought of as around 60 miles. Our altitude was approximately 200 miles, which is just 50 miles below the International Space Station.
Our company is based on the philosophy that simplicity, low-cost, and reliability can go hand in hand. By eliminating the traditional layers of management, internally, and sub-contractors, externally, we reduce our costs while speeding decision making and delivery.
Unlike Amazon's rocket, PayPal isn't for sightseers. This one is all about the work. Starting with one for the Defense Department, they plan a heap o' satellite launches later this year, and get this: they've already won a NASA contract for delivering and returning goods for the International Space Station!!
They've clearly moved beyond the stage of interesting hobby. As the our boy Elon writes in his blog:
I'd like to thank DARPA and the Air Force for buying the two test flights and helping us work through a number of challenges over the past year.
Is it okay if I'm getting a little freaked out by all this rocket stuff?
A final, truly tangential postscript: SpaceX is based in El Segundo, CA. I can never hear that name without hearing Q-Tip's unmistakable voice in A Tribe Called Quest's second single, "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo."
You can read the whole story at Wikipedia (yes, really). You've also got, got, got to
, but I'm warning you: you're going to get the song stuck in your head. You don't have to watch the whole thing: the beginning will be enough to hook you: the loping chorus over a sample bed of The Chambers Brothers' "Funky," and of course, the dwarf in the sombrero.
Posted by: Tim Wilson on Sep 13, 2007 at 1:45:47 am
