U.S. Department of Defense to use SpaceX for a mission and the First Reusable Rocket Successfully launched and landed in late March
Manhattan New York, April 24th, 2017— The U.S. Department of Defense will be using Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, for a mission upcoming launch of a government spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. The launch is scheduled for as early as April 30.
For at least the last six years, that arena has been the exclusive domain of competitor United Launch Alliance, according to the Orlando Centennial. The NRO revealed in May that it had granted SpaceX the upcoming launch. The mission will reflect a new area of competition for SpaceX and ULA, two of the main launch providers from the Space Coast. Florida could benefit from this business competition.
“This satellite was going to launch from Florida anyway,” said Dale Ketcham, Space Florida’s chief of strategic alliances. “But it reflects more competition. That will drive down prices and could result in it being cheaper to get into space, meaning more launches. Competition is a good thing.”
SpaceX reached another milestone with the successful relaunch of a used Falcon 9 rocket on March 30th. That accomplishment is early proof that the company’s plan to reuse boosters could eventually lower launch costs. Now SpaceX has had nine successful rocket landings, as well as a Falcon 9 that has gone to and from space two times now.
“It’s been 15 years to get to this point, it’s taken us a long time,” Elon Musk said. “A lot of difficult steps along the way, but I’m just incredibly proud of the SpaceX for being able to achieve this incredible milestone in the history of space.”
2017 has been a year of firsts for SpaceX, and it’s not even half way over. As SpaceX begins to move towards its next launch, many are waiting and watching in anticipation to see what they accomplish in the coming future.
Elon Musk is a serial entrepreneur and is a owner of Tesla located in California.
https://www.tesla.com/elon-musk