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BY ERIK SHUTE

You're watching multisource science video news analysis from Newsy.


To infinity -- and beyond federal investment. Wednesday, NASA watched as private-based rocketeers from SpaceX staged a bold presentation -- launching their Falcon 9 rocket into orbit. Washington NBC affiliate WRC captured the historic moment.

“The launch demonstration to NASA that private companies can be hired to be delivering supplies to the International Space Station. Space Operations Corporation or Spacex sent it into space. The plan is have the capsule orbit the earth twice and parachute into the Pacific ocean. No private company ever accomplished this before.”

As NASA comes to the end of its shuttle program, it plans to invest in putting people and cargo into orbit -- with little cost and high efficiency. SpaceX hopes to fill the void, but CNN wonders if the investment is worth the risk.

REPORTER: “Space X says it can fly an astronaut to the International Space Station for $30 million less than the Russians. But is this new industry mature enough to deliver?”
DREW: “I think we’ll get there. I just don’t know how long it’s going to take, what it’s going to cost. Not just in dollars, but possibly in lives and in aspirations.”

At the head of the private program is billionaire and Paypal cofounder Elon Musk. His leap into the private sector of space exploration is unprecedented and pretty successful thus far. With the checkbook to back it up, The Daily Mail views Musk as the real life Iron Man Tony Stark.

“Faced with budget cutbacks, NASA has been forced to look outside of the government for ways to make ends meet and has found an eager partner in Mr. Musk. SpaceX has already signed a $1.6billion deal with NASA to carry out 12 resupplying missions to Americans on board.”

SpaceX is one of two companies vying for NASA’s Commerical Orbital Transportation Services program. After already sinking $500 million into the project, Voice of America believes these private investors will help taxpayers escape NASA’s black hole of spending.

“It has met 17 of 22 benchmarks so far, and NASA will pay out another $25 million once SpaceX meets the remaining milestones... and if SpaceX goes over budget, it is up to the private company to make up that shortfall - not the government and not taxpayers.”

SpaceX is also bench marked as the first commercial business to receive a license for space orbit and reentry from the FAA. So what do you think? Is SpaceX destined for the moon, or is NASA’s continued space exploration still lightyears ahead?

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