Why Are Private Companies Launching Spacecraft Into Orbit?

[Ivan Seeking]

It just launched. Due to orbit the Earth twice before reentry.

The first commercial spacecraft slated to orbit Earth and re-enter successfully was originally scheduled to lift off shortly after 9 a.m. No reason was given for the delay. Launch coordinators will try again at 10:43 a.m...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/08/space.flight/?hpt=T1

 

[FlexGunship]

SpaceX Launches the Dragon Capsule into Orbit

The first of what NASA hopes will someday be a fleet of privately built rockets and capsules to supply the international space station launched from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday morning in a major test for the commercial space industry.

If all goes well, the capsule will circle the globe twice and then splash down 90 minutes later in the Pacific.

(Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/08/AR2010120801591.html?hpid=topnews)

Other reports mention a 3.5 hour delay before splashing down, so I'm not sure about the discrepancy.

But, how cool is this!? I kept my fingers crossed the whole time. My two favorite things: private industry and space travel!

 

[zomgwtf]

Apparently a indicator gave a false report of a problem with the ship that's why it was delayed. And it will be landing @ 2pm EST so that gives a flight time of around 3.5hrs no?

 

[dlgoff]

This is good news. I watched the launch on the NASA channel.

 

[FlexGunship]

Has anyone heard if the Dragon capsule has landed? Much less news about the end of the mission than I expected.

EDIT: This just got crawled by Google: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/08/5613447-splashdown-a-sense-of-space-deja-vu

 

[tichy]

why are private companies launching into space? Couldn't this get out of hand..?

 

[OmCheeto]

why are private companies launching into space? Couldn't this get out of hand..?

Out of hand? This has nothing to do with "getting out of hand"...

Once the U.S. Government issued the patent on http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...0&s1=6055910.PN.&OS=PN/6055910&RS=PN/6055910", there was going to be no stopping this race into space...

Wikileaks is nothing compared to this insane abuse of the "Freedom of Information Act". This information should have been sequestered FOREVER!

But it was out there, and I read it all. And just like wikileaks, I was intrigued by everything I saw and read.

The only question I have left is, where does figure #1 fit into the apparatus?

 

[russ_watters]

why are private companies launching into space?

1. Because they can.
2. Because NASA is paying them to.
(not necessarily in that order)

Couldn't this get out of hand..?

What do you mean? Couldn't what get out of hand?