SpaceX Eclipses NASA in U.S. Space Travel

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Oct. 8, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

         When 31-year old Pretoria, South Africa-born Internet PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk launched Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies [SpaceX] in 2002, no one, especially NASA, could have imagined that Musk’s Dragon spacecraft would replace the aging U.S. Shuttle program.  NASA’s Space Shuttle program blasted off Dec. 12, 1981 with the Columbia spacecraft, on a two-day mission replacing the obsolete Apollo program, nine long years after the Apollo 17 mission splashed down in the Atlantic Dec. 19, 1972.  When Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at Florida’s Cape Canaveral July 20, 2011, it marked the end for the first time in U.S. space history that NASA had no replacement vehicle, officially ending the U.S.-manned space program.  Nine years earlier, Musk saw the gap and seized the opportunity to create the next generation space vehicle.

             SpaceX has officially become NASA’s replacement for space transport vehicles to the International Space Station.  On May 25, 2012, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft docked with the ISS, successfully transferring its payload.  “Tomorrow’s SpaceX launch begins a new era for space-flight and the International Space Station,” said Sam Scimemi NASA’s space station director.  “These flights are critical to the space station’s sustainment and to help begin its full utilization,” not mentioning that SpaceX will start manned space operations in 2015.  NASA saves face by labeling companies like SpaceX as only space transportation services, as if Musk’s only goal is serving as a delivery service for NASA.  Musk has far bigger plans for SpaceX than transporting supplies to the ISS.  SpaceX plans future manned missions to the moon and eventually to Mars when technology permits.

             Expected to deliver 1,000 pounds [453 kilograms] of supplies to the ISS Wed., Oct. 10, Musk’s Dragon spacecraft is due to blast off its Cape Canaveral launch pad Sunday, 8:35 p.m. in the first of 12 cargo-flights contracted by NASA for $1.6 billion. While NASA touts its robotic missions to Mars, Musk works 24/7 adapting his gumdrop-shaped spacecraft for manned space operations.  While SpaceX officials list 2015 for the first manned operation, it could be sooner.  NASA grossly miscalculated the design of the Space Shuttle, a behemoth plane-shaped space vehicle that lacked real space worthiness seen in the Dragon capsule, Russia’s Soyuz or the Chinese Shenzhou spacecrafts.  Ironically, all the current space-worthy designs parallel those of NASA’s Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space vehicles, all with sophisticated upgrades making the Space Shuttle obsolete.

             SpaceX currently competes in the U.S. with only one other NASA contractor, Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp, now holding a $1.9 billion contract to also ferry supplies to the ISS.  Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket and unmanned Cygnus spacecraft aren’t capable of returning supplies from the ISS to Earth.  Orbital Sciences lags well behind SpaceX in adapting its Cygnus spacecraft for manned space operations.  “We’re very exited.  This is the first time we’re taking a powered cargo up,” SpaceX President Gywnne Shotwell said.  “We’re quite excited about the missions both up and back,” reminding the industry that only SpaceX can ferry supplies to and from the ISS.  Bringing food and ice cream in a battery-powered freezer and other things to the ISS, the Dragon spacecraft expects to return astronauts’ blood and urine samples for scientific experimentation back on Earth.

             Expecting to take less time to deliver cargo than its successful test run last May, the Dragon spacecraft will fly a more direct trajectory to the ISS.  “This time we will be driving right to the station,” said Shotwell.  NASA expects to return some 2,000 pounds of experiments aboard the Dragon spacecraft when it splashes down off Southern California next Wednesday.  “Some of it is for research and some of it are [orbital replacements units] to be refurbished or repaired,” said SpaceX station program manager Mike Suffredini.  Returning twice as much weight on the return flight back to Earth proves the Dragon capsule’s space worthiness.  With SpaceX carrying the load, NASA no longer has to contract with Russian, European or Japanese space delivery services.  SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft has once again made the U.S. space program self-sufficient.

             Now out in front of the private sector space industry, Musk has no plans of surrendering his first-mover position to any other company.  He’s working nonstop to gear up for manned space operations, scheduled for sometime in 2015, if not before.  “This capability is vital to the International Space Station,” said Suffredini, referring to the Dragon spacecrafts unique capability of ferrying supplies to and from the ISS.  NASA can only now talk of partnerships with space entrepreneurs like Musk, who are leading the way in the next generation of space travel.  While NASA high-fives about its robotic space operations on Mars, Musk pursues the daunting challenge of returning to safe-and-efficient human space-flight.  When NASA grounded the Space Shuttle Atlantis July 20, 2011, it signaled the end of U.S. manned space operations for the foreseeable future.  It’s now up to entrepreneurs like Musk to carry the torch.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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