February 12, 2018

With China, Russia looming, SpaceX launch is about more than Mars

SpaceX has reached another milestone with the successful launch of Falcon Heavy. The launch is another example of the organization’s persistent ability to innovate and push market expansion.

In the short term, the launch probably won’t add to SpaceX’s bottom lineall that much, there just isn’t enough heavy lift demand. So why is the launch such a big deal? The importance of Tuesday’s maiden Falcon Heavy flight is less about the immediate financial return for SpaceX and more about what it signifies vis-à-vis America’s interest in space and the country’s ability to leverage the free market system to develop the burgeoning space domain ahead of our peers.

Maintaining America’s advantage in space has both economic and national security implications.

Read the full article in The Hill.

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