Visionary tech tycoon and TESLA founder Elon Musk is a proud daddy as of 5:49am ET Friday as his company SpaceX launches their 10th astronaut into orbit in under a year – surpassing the total number of astronauts sent into space during the entirety of the Mercury program. Suggesting once again that Musk could have his finger on the pulse of America’s future.
However, with Friday’s successful launch and the recently released news that NASA plans to partner with SpaceX for the next manned missions to the moon, investors find themselves more interested in what SpaceX’s future might look like rather than their own…
SpaceX
The name Elon Musk is so well known today that its hard to believe he once wasn’t in the public arena. (Read a previous article on Musk HERE…)
Seen by many as today’s answer to Howard Hughes — minus the many eccentricities — Musk prides himself in his role as visionary billionaire and continues to stay at the cutting edge of today’s technological advancements.
Founding his most well-known company (TESLA) in 2003, many don’t realize that Musk first founded SpaceX in 2002, hinting that, despite all the advancements he and his team have provided in the E.V. sector, his true passion may just be space exploration.
Initially, the goals of SpaceX were simple, but grand. Work to reduce the cost of space travel and take steps towards the colonization of Mars. As far-fetched as those goals may seem, there’s no denying that through the company’s research and recent partnership with NASA, we’re one step closer to reaching those targets.
The NASA Partnership
Friday’s launch marks the third crewed mission SpaceX has achieved and the second partnered with the team at NASA. The recent successes Musk and the SpaceX team have had working with NASA’s top scientists only further solidifies his companies place as a real contender in the space exploration sector.
Thanks to Musk and his team, the high costs of the Apollo and Space Shuttle missions of the latter half of the 20th century that ended up altering the public’s overall image of space exploration and leading to the eventual downfall of the missions themselves, is no longer a concern.
Today, SpaceX continues to work on reusable rockets that, like airplanes, can take off and land multiple times, cutting the overall budget needed for such experimentation and exploration.
Today’s launch is the perfect example of how this idea works as the “Endeavour” — the ship set into orbit Friday morning – consisted of a reused rocket and capsule. The team consisting of NASA astronauts Megan McArthur, Shane Kimborough, Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide and Thomas Pesquet of France, together in the reused capsule all head towards the international space station for an estimated 6 months of research.
After Friday’s launch, the Falcon 9 rocket that was reused today from a former launch successfully returned to Earth for review and to await its next mission.
Betting on Musk
These cost-effective measures being taken by NASA and their partnership with SpaceX are estimated to save the agency anywhere from $20-30 Billion in overall development costs. Making space exploration an enticing sector to enter into for future contract bidders and savvy investors.
With today’s successful launch adding another win to Musk’s score card, he proves yet again that he is not confined by the boundaries of our planet, taking one step further to solidify his title as the man of tomorrow.
And with the planned NASA partnership looking to move forward, investors will continue to watch for developments in this story, hoping to come across a clue proving whether or not Musk and the SpaceX team have it in them to once again shoot for the stars.
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