Technology in this modern world is growing at a very rapid rate and we are witnessing developments in all spheres. One of such sectors is where we find space exploration where we are observing tremendous development over the recent years. SpaceX is a company that you might have heard about and I am certain that those who take interest in space and rockets know all about it very well. However, there are still too many individuals who do not know much about SpaceX and what they are doing to the future of space exploration. I say so because SpaceX is not just any other space company. It is a thing that is transforming the entire idea of the way we think about the idea of rockets and space travel.
Did you ever hear that space exploration in the primitive times was the prerogative of governments? Only wealthy nations such as the United States and Russia had the capability to launch rockets to space since it was very costly. One launch of a rocket might cost in hundreds of millions of money and once armed the rocket was discarded. Can you imagine that? It is an equivalent of purchasing an automobile and disposing it after a single use. It was inefficient and that is why space exploration was costly and time consuming. But SpaceX had another thought and that thought was to have rockets reusable.
I would like to tell you why SpaceX is different than the conventional space companies. The key point is that SpaceX creates the rockets that can be reused because the launch rocket can land back on the ground and can be used once again. I believe that it is a revolution since it transforms all aspects of the economics of space voyages. Since Elon Musk had just begun SpaceX, nobody believed that he was not crazy and no one believed that a rocket could land vertically. But SpaceX came out to prove them wrong and they have begun landing rockets on a frequent basis. I suppose it is one of the most incredible sights in the current technology to watch a rocket falling back on Earth.
The workhorse of SpaceX is the Falcon 9 rocket and it has been extremely successful. It has the ability to take satellites to space and deliver cargo to the International Space Station. However, what is unique is that following the first step of the rocket is the second one returning and landing either on a landing pad or on a drone ship at the ocean. The first ones were full of failures and explosions in their landing. But SpaceX did not surrender and they continued to try and make improvements. I believe that this persistence was justified as they have almost become used to landing a Falcon 9.
The other incredible SpaceX product is the Starship rocket. Starship is significantly larger than Falcon 9 and it is planned as a human-carrying ship to Mars and the beyond. I believe that this is what the actual future is. Elon Musk has never stopped claiming that he wants to transform humanity into a multi-planetary species and Starship is the vehicle which will help to fulfil this objective. The rocket is reusable in its entirety and this implies that both stages will be returned and landed. Should they make a success out of this then the price of space travel will be reduced significantly. Will you be able to know how large this is? It also implies that someday space travel may be affordable not only to governments but also to companies and perhaps to individuals as well.
We shall now proceed to what SpaceX has accomplished. They have already put astronauts on the International Space Station on several occasions using their Crew Dragon spacecraft. This was a major blow given that since the Space Shuttle was retired the United States was left with no other choice, but to use Russia to launch astronauts to space. However, now with SpaceX they have their capability once again. Also SpaceX has launched the satellite Starlink thousands of times covering the whole world with the internet. I suppose that this demonstrates that SpaceX is not only oriented to exploration but also to real-life use of space technology.
However, is there nothing wrong with SpaceX? I believe that there are also challenges. There are individuals who oppose them by claiming that they cause excessive debris in space using Starlink satellites. It is feared that having so many satellites in the sky might cause interference with the astronomical studies and lead to collisions. Otherwise there are regulatory challenges and ecological issues concerning the development of Starship. I would have to state that these are legitimate concerns, which SpaceX should consider thoughtfully.
I believe that the contribution that SpaceX has had on the rocket industry cannot be ignored. Conventional space firms are also attempting to use reusable rockets due to the fact that they view it as the future. The competition is also on the rise and this is good to all since competition leads to innovation and reduction of costs. Even countries such as China and India are putting more funds in their space programs and are attempting to keep pace. I believe we have entered a new space exploration era whereby there are more players and it is more accelerated.
What about the future? In my opinion, SpaceX will remain pushing the limits and trying to do what is impossible at the moment. The initiative to launch human beings to Mars is a dream, but I believe that in the event that any company can do it, then it is SpaceX. They have demonstrated that they are risk takers and learners of failures. They are slowly moving on and nearing their objectives. Also the technology they come up with not only helps in space exploration but also the other areas.
In conclusion I would like to state that SpaceX can be seen as the new vision of thinking about rockets and space travel. They established the fact that reusable rockets are real and cheap. They motivated an upsurge of people in being fascinated by the space. I believe that the future of rockets is optimistic and SpaceX is the first. I would recommend that you follow the activity of SpaceX in case you are interested in space and technology as they are making history and they are defining the future of the human quest to the outer space.
