Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Today SpaceX made their second successful launch out of two attempts of their Falcon 9 rocket.  They put their Dragon capsule in orbit, and returned it to land on target in the Pacific Ocean.  As always Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society has the information.  This is fantastic news.

While just about all NASA rockets are built by private companies, they are built to NASA specifications in cost plus bids, which often have cost overruns.  The plus in cost plus means the contractors are guaranteed profits.  The new commercial firms design and build their own systems based on the general requirements provided by NASA.  Whatever they come up with must of course be certified by NASA.  NASA’s also paying, but it’s a fixed amount, so the companies can make out like a bandit, or lose their shirt.

Congratulations SpaceX!