SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rocket Poised For First Flight Today [Update: Orbit Achieved]

Since the Dragon capsule can't return to Earth, will it become a big piece of space debris?

That was so awesome. I hope people got to watch the launch. I'm sure there will be pics available, like the one heading the article.

Amazing for it to reach orbit on it's first launch attempt. And the kicker is that they aborted at T-1 second, were able to turn it around in an hour and have a successful launch. So freaking cool.

Ha ha this is so awesome! I've been waiting for almost seven months for this launch (stupid USAF)! SpaceX is the future! Hooray!

I feel like this is a dumb but obvious question. Why won't NASA just give the rocket plans to these companies. Why all the experimentation - we've been launching rockets in space for what...40 years? More? Why are we trying to create new rockets from scratch. Again sorry if this is a stupid question but it just seems like we'd be so much further along if NASA just sold them the equipment or something.

@Beantown - Its not a dumb question, from what i understand NASA has been working with SpaceX for awhile now, but SpaceX is trying to make a very different rocket from what i understand. i may be missinformed, but spaceX seems focused on low cost/low turn around rockets. as evidenced by a 1 hour turnaround today after a last second abort. NASA rockets have always been expensive slow matters with a launch abort resulting in days of delay.

Bean, I can understand your question and no its not dumb at all. Yeah it would make a whole lot of sense for NASA to just give SpaceX plans for rockets, but theres more to it than that. Alot of rocket components like engines are outsourced to companies like Pratt & Whitneys Rocketdyne. So ownership and distribution of those plans are not up to NASA to give freely.

SpaceX is doing a hell of a job though, and hats off to them for getting this far successfully(for the most part) The Merlin engine used in the Falcon 9 is completely designed and manufactured by SpaceX AND it is the most efficient kersone engine ever built! SpaceX is doing a hell of a job with this and Im looking forward to more innovation from them! They can more than handle this it seems!

They launched the capsule into a decaying orbit so that it will eventually burn up in the atmosphere.

There are no dumb questions.
Shuttle technology is 30 years old and Apollo tech nearly 50. NASA provides a great deal of information on their technology to companies like SpaceX but these private companies have their own ideas as how to approach the problem. For example Rutan and his Space Ship 1 used technologies that NASA would never have considered and yet it worked remarkably well. Just because the NASA technology works that does not mean that it is the only game in town. The success of the Falcon 9 is not just remarkably encouraging it is one more example of how private enterprise can not only succeed but excel in space. NASA proved it can be done now companies like SpaceX and Scaled Composites will show that it can be done for a profit. More power to them.

Well done SpaceX

However, they were unable to recover the first stage. If it's more than a parashoot problem the cost will be much higher per launch than expected.

Thanks everyone.

To some extent this is just like any other business where the best invention wins and we have creative ownership. Every industry is like that when it comes down to how we make cars, to software, to cell phones.

But for some reason I just view this space race differently. Must be the trekkie in me.

Yes this advancement is fantastic. Sometimes it just takes one person's success to fuel a hundred more. Kudos to them and I'm glad they were successful. Here comes space race 2.0....or is it now 3.0.

bean you had a great point, it made me wonder why doesnt space x give their plans to nasa. After all the falcon 9 has very powerful engenes, a compasite structue, and its cheap.

Alright Falcon 9!!!

Bean - thank you for asking that question, I've wondered that myself.
10jacobf - sadly but yes it will be debris, but what an accomplishment by spaceX!

Hats off to SpaceX, showing the international community the way to space exploration that is more cost effective, by about 1000 to 1.Or in the case of NASA, 10,000 to 1.

@10jacobf Jordan was right, it's in a decaying orbit which means it will disintegrate into the atmosphere. I believe I heard this would take a little under a year.

@spacegeek1 SpaceX wouldn't give NASA their plans because they are a private company trying to turn a profit and make space into a commercial venture, making it cheaper and more accessible to everyone.

@coolhand well with the plans NASA will be able to do what nasa does better and cheaper. at least spacex has rockets that cost less than an aircraft carrer

Fantastic!
Congratulations Space X.

President Obama, you are right!!