The trajectory of SpaceX and its pending future
In its existence of a little over two decades, SpaceX has made a name for itself in the space exploration industry, but the company didn’t always have that reputation.
Space editor and journalist, Eric Berger, walks through pivotal moments in SpaceX history and what’s to come in his new book, Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age. Berger explores that despite a “scrappy start” 10 to 15 years ago, SpaceX shocked its competitors with its accomplishments and milestones.
In the first half of the 2010s, Berger said that SpaceX was under extreme financial pressure and needed to economize. He said the book explores how site reconstruction for launchpads typically ranges from $200 million to $400 million, but SpaceX built it's launchpads with $20 million by scavenging old launch pads for scrap metal, old tanks or pressure vessels.
“They were vastly underestimated throughout the whole period of the 2010s and in one sense, that's one of the major themes of Reentry, is how all its competitors 10 to 15 years ago looked down their noses at SpaceX, right?” Berger said. “You had United Launch Alliance, you had Boeing, you had Roscosmos. You had the European Space Agency, and Arianespace, and Blue Origin, even to some extent, all these companies, kind of looked at SpaceX as these upstarts with a big talking CEO that were going to fall flat on their faces.”
Berger said SpaceX’s reputation shift shocked people when it accomplished what NASA coveted most—launching astronauts to the space station in 2020.
Berger said working at SpaceX was now seen as an opportunity to work on cutting edge hardware that would fly as soon as humanly possible. He said in the late 2010s, it was recognized as the highest apex job in the industry.
When SpaceX landed the first stage of the Falcon 9 in 2015, Berger said it was probably the most important part of the company’s history. Despite hurdles and concerns, he said the landing was a success and changed the trajectory of reusable rockets.
"You had packed all of that into this launch a couple of days before Christmas in 2015 and this really intense six-month period to get back to flight, trying densified propellant, landing the rocket for the first time, upgrading to a brand-new version of the rocket, and it all came together on this night,” Berger said. “It was just kind of this magical moment. I think for a lot of employees, they're really crystallized that, yeah, this was going to be possible that they had taken this pivotal step toward reusing rockets.”
Berger said that while SpaceX’s future in politics and international partners is uncertain, the company’s focus on its Starship spacecraft sets the tone for its future. He said that if the rocket is even half as successful as the company projects, it will make a huge impact on the industry.
“It opens up this incredible potential for humans to do things in space, for satellites, for deep space probes, and again, that future is really hard to see, you know, but that clearly is where the company is going,” Berger said. “And I just don't know, it could be completely revolutionary. It could kind of just be like a bigger, better Falcon Heavy.”
Can humans thrive in space?
A University of Florida distinguished professor and scientist Rob Ferl hitched a ride to the edge of space to research how microgravity impacts humans on long duration trips.
The weeks before his flight, his main concern was the constant rescheduling of his plane ticket and logistics. Only two days before did the idea of spaceflight finally felt real. Despite anticipated nerves and anxiety, Ferl said the flight in Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule was the most serene experience he’s had.
“The rocket's making some noises as the fuel's being loaded and things are being checked but by and large, you're quiet,” Ferl said. “One is quiet with their own thoughts looking out the window. You got to sit there quiet, you got to sit there still, and you got to come to grips with the idea that you're actually now ever closer, but really, really going to do it. I found it to be, yeah, serene and filled with both awe of anticipation, but also incredible gratitude for getting ready to experience the flight.”
Following the flight up, Ferl said he was able to accomplish what he needed from his research and experiment. The months of planning, simulation, training and choreography between ground control and the capsule allowed for sampling to get done, he said, while also allowing him personal time to take in the experience of spaceflight.
Ferl said that the impact that conducting research in space had on him and should do for more scientists is a deeper understanding of space and its relationship with biology. He compares a space biologist never experiencing space to an oceanographer that’s never been to sea or a forester that’s never touched a tree.
"I also believe that for scientists and for anybody that goes there, one develops a deeper understanding of what space is now,” Ferl said. “Is that represented by that stark contrast between the blackness of space and the atmosphere? Is it an understanding that comes because you are one floating free in a very gentle, incredible environment? Is it because one is that far separated from the rest of everything that we know and love? Probably a little of all those things.”
Ferl said space-based experiments by scientists such as himself are doable and hopes for more scientists to gain this perspective.
"It is doable with, yeah, a serious investment in time, but not like changing your career to become a career NASA scientist,” Ferl said. “It can be done within the academic timeframes of our world, it could be done on the commercial side by scientists that need work done for a commercial application, science is doable inside the New Shepard capsule.”
