Opinion: NASA-SpaceX partnership reviving American space programs

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In 2005, SpaceX was awarded the $100 million dollar launch contract for the Falcon I launch vehicle. This was the beginning of the private-public partnership that rekindled the space program in the U.S.

Founded by Elon Musk, Tesla founder and PayPal entrepreneur, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) was originally formed to advance rocket development and reduce the cost of space transportation. Musk’s overarching goal was to enable the colonization of Mars.

Their partnership with NASA has once again put American astronauts in space, and in newer, modern gear too. Private businesses have the ability to redesign and simplify a project.

In space, private-sector commercial partnerships are at the forefront of a new era of space research on the ISS, as well as space platforms of the future. Private companies provide NASA with more choices to address unique research needs and they are becoming the pathfinders for a marketplace in low Earth orbit. 

SpaceX, in particular, has used their own money and resources to invest in space research and development facilities. This reduces the risks and costs that often take place in the highly regulated “red tape” of the Federal government bureaucracy.