Here’s an idea: instead of private corporations sucking $20B a year on bad engineering, why not directly use that money for a not for profit federal agency?
We could call it the National Aeronautic Space Administration for Launches. Or, NASAL.
My sweet summer child, where do you think NASA actually gets its rockets from? You think they build them themselves? You think there were federal employees bending metal and turning wrenches at the space shuttle factory?
The difference is design and oversight. With a NASA vehicle, the government is in charge of the design process and construction, although these tasks are mostly done by outside companies on government contracts. With a company like SpaceX or Blue Origin, the design and testing and operation is done by the company who then sells launch contracts to NASA.
If you think the government can do better, I encourage you to take a look at SLS.
NASA’s just made a rocket - the Space Launch System. It was ridiculously more expensive than SpaceX’s rocket. And the Space Shuttle before that was also very expensive and suboptimal.
I am not a private sector fundamentalist (fuck privatized healthcare), but rocket launches is one thing where the private sector has proven better than the private sector.
Here’s an idea: instead of private corporations sucking $20B a year on bad engineering, why not directly use that money for a not for profit federal agency?
We could call it the National Aeronautic Space Administration for Launches. Or, NASAL.
We have that already: NASA’s Space Launch System.
It’s … debatable whether it gives better results than commercial contracts.
My sweet summer child, where do you think NASA actually gets its rockets from? You think they build them themselves? You think there were federal employees bending metal and turning wrenches at the space shuttle factory?
The difference is design and oversight. With a NASA vehicle, the government is in charge of the design process and construction, although these tasks are mostly done by outside companies on government contracts. With a company like SpaceX or Blue Origin, the design and testing and operation is done by the company who then sells launch contracts to NASA.
If you think the government can do better, I encourage you to take a look at SLS.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/12/six-years-after-orions-first-spaceflight-america-still-waits-for-an-encore/ This is a few years old but it’s very relevant. As of 2020, NASA had spent more on the Orion vehicle and one flight than SpaceX had spent cumulatively on all space activities combined (including falcon, dragon, Merlin, starlink, and the beginnings of starship)
NASA’s just made a rocket - the Space Launch System. It was ridiculously more expensive than SpaceX’s rocket. And the Space Shuttle before that was also very expensive and suboptimal.
I am not a private sector fundamentalist (fuck privatized healthcare), but rocket launches is one thing where the private sector has proven better than the private sector.
But how are we gonna make any money on that? What about all the red tape??
hashtag think of the billionaires