by Shaan Verma ’13

The recent launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station marks a new era of spaceflight. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has retired the space shuttle program for the foreseeable future due to lack of funds, which leaves a void that is now being filled by companies from the private sector such as SpaceX. This is exactly the push that space technology needs. The private sector will work twice as hard, with the same amount of funds due to the lack of red tape, which is exactly what has been holding NASA back since the end of the space race. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket proves that the next era of space exploration has arrived, not in the hands of the government and its inherent bureaucracy, but in those of SpaceX, a private company that is genuinely interested in advancing the age of space exploration. SpaceX is the way of the future and will pave the way for new inventions and innovations in the realm of spaceflight.