Ok, so I'm a few days late on this, but better late than never. SpaceX, a space-transportation startup company founded by Pay-Pal co-founder Elon Musk has made history. On September 28th, they became the first privately funded company to ever successfully send a rocket into orbit.
After three failed launches, the company founded by Elon Musk worked all of the bugs out of their Falcon 1 launch vehicles.
The entire spectacle was broadcast live from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Cameras mounted on the spacecraft showed our planet shrinking in the distance and the empty first stage engine falling back to Earth.
As the rocket ascended, cheers rang out during every crucial step of the launch sequence, and at the final stage their headquarters in Hawthorne, California erupted in excitement.
The tensest moment came just before stage separation. At that critical juncture, the third launch attempt had failed. This time, it worked out perfectly.
Eight minutes after leaving the ground, Falcon 1 reached a speed of 5200 meters per second and passed above the International Space Station.
"I don't know what to say... because my mind is just blown," said Musk, during a brief address to his staff after the successful launch. "This is just the first step of many."
Maybe it's just me, but I find this whole thing super cool. Private companies are now going to be able to send their own rockets into space. No longer will the US government and NASA have a monopoly on space travel in the US.
And how awesome is the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk? The man became super rich from creating pay-pal, but instead of blowing his vast amounts of cash on mountains of cocaine and expensive prostitutes (like most of us would), the guy decides to found a company that will revolutionize the space industry.
Next up for SpaceX is the launching of their Falcon 9 rocket, a larger rocket that is capable of carrying a lot more cargo into space. I wish these guys all the luck in the world!
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