Lori Garver watches the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft on board, launch in 2013 from Kennedy Space Center. (credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
In recent years, SpaceX has upended the rocket industry. Whereas established rocket companies like United Launch Alliance and Arianespace once scoffed at the California upstart, the success of SpaceX has them rapidly scrambling to cut their own launch costs and pursue reusable rockets.
SpaceX has also had an uneasy relationship with NASA. One one hand, the company’s founder, Elon Musk, broke down in tears in late 2008 when a $1.6 billion contract from NASA to supply the International Space Station saved his company.
At the same time, Musk has said repeatedly that his ultimate aim with SpaceX is to land humans—perhaps even himself—on Mars. NASA also has a program to land humans on Mars. And just as NASA is building a heavy lift rocket to accomplish this, so is SpaceX. Only its Falcon Heavy rocket will likely cost about one-tenth as much to launch as NASA’s Space Launch System; it will begin flying two years sooner as well.
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