SpaceX will build the world's largest rocket

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Another company that I love, SpaceX, said they had something big in store, and they did.



The company today revealed its plans for the Falcon Heavy, which promises to be the "world's most powerful rocket." Just how powerful is that? SpaceX says the 22-story rocket will be able to carry satellites or spacecraft weighing over 53 metric tons (or 117,000 pounds) into low earth orbit, which is nearly twice what the Space Shuttle is able to carry. What's more, this isn't just a far off promise. SpaceX says the rocket will be "ready" sometime next year, and the first test flight is planned for 2013. The rocket's sheer size isn't it's only selling point, though -- it also promises to drastically reduce the cost of sending things into space, with each launch expected to cost "only" $100 million.

Yeah, basically SpaceX just showed that it is not just planning at taking crumbs left from ULA (Boeing/Lockheed) and other national player's table: it is going after the whole dinner. It also makes NASA's continued ineptitude in terms of space launch even more pathetic. Honestly NASA, just give up and let SpaceX handle getting into space, and you focus on exploration and science. 

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