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Established in 2002 by Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal and the Zip2 Corporation,
Space Explorations Technologies - also known as SpaceX - is well into the development
of brand-new launch vehicles, and has already established an extensive launch manifest.
ELON ON CAM: With the COTS program, NASA is very clear about "this is what we want -
we're not going to tell you how to get there; we'll give you help along the way if you ask
for it", which we've gotten a lot of help, and we appreciate that,
but rather than over-constrain the problem - this is an experiment
in removing a lot of the constraints and I think it is going to turn
out to be a very successful experiment.
NARRATOR V/O: SpaceX's philosophy is that simplicity, low-cost,
and reliability can go hand-in-hand.
By eliminating the traditional layers of management, (internally)
and sub-contractors (externally) SpaceX reduces costs while increasing the speed
of decision-making and delivery.
By keeping the majority of manufacturing in-house, SpaceX reduces costs,
keeps tighter control of quality, and ensures a tight feedback loop
between the design and manufacturing teams.
Concentrating on simple, proven designs with a primary focus on reliability,
SpaceX reduces the costs associated with complex systems operating at the margin.
SHOTWELL ON CAM: We try to study what's been done before - what's worked and what hasn't -
and we had the advantage of starting with an absolute clean-sheet design.
So we could pick the best ideas from across the board
and put them together in a new way, a unique way.
NARRATOR V/O: Although drawing upon a rich history of prior launch vehicle
and engine programs, SpaceX is developing the Dragon cargo and crew capsule
and the Falcon family of rockets from the ground up, including main and upper stage engines,
the cryogenic tank structure, avionics, guidance & control software and ground support equipment.
SpaceX has already demonstrated their ability to successfully launch their own spacecraft.
The Dragon cargo capsule that SpaceX is developing for COTS will revolutionize access
to space by providing efficient and reliable transportation of space cargo to ISS
and other low Earth orbit destinations.