It will be the first privately developed, liquid fueled rocket to reach orbit and the world's first all new orbital rocket in over a decade.
The main engine of Falcon 1 (Merlin) will be the first all new American hydrocarbon engine for an orbital booster to be flown in forty years and only the second new American booster engine of any kind in twenty-five years.
The Falcon 1 is the only rocket flying 21st century avionics, which require a small fraction of the power and mass of other systems.
It will be the world's only semi-reusable orbital rocket apart from the Shuttle.
Most importantly, Falcon 1, priced at $6.7 million, will provide the lowest cost per flight to orbit of any launch vehicle in the world, despite receiving a design reliability rating equivalent to that of the best launch vehicles currently flying in the United States.
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
$6.7 million, that's dirt cheap. Compare that to say a tomahawk missile for $1.4 million. Getting a lot more bang for the buck I'd say. (pun intended) This will certainly open up the doors to private satelites.
Never knew these guys existed, I'll have to follow them more closely. What's next? Manned flights for $15 million?
SpaceX low cost orbital rocket to launch Monday
