Express Sebastian Kettley 8/4/2019
NASA’S Apollo programme safely delivered the first man to the Moon in 1969 but moving forward the future of spaceflight rests in the hands of Elon Musk and SpaceX, the Chairman of Parliament for the world’s first space nation has claimed.
NASA landed the first man on the Moon 50 years ago this year, on July 20, 1969. The incredible achievement of the Apollo space programme saw three men fly the world’s most powerful rocket – the Saturn V – into space. But half-a-century later, long after the Cold War space race has ended, NASA is no longer the dominant player in spaceflight. Instead, the US space agency relies on its Russian counterpart Roscosmos to send astronauts into orbit.
However, in the coming 10 to 20 years, the future of spaceflight will no longer be in the hands of government agencies like NASA, Roscosmos or the European Space Agency (ESA).
According to Lembit Öpik, Chairman of Parliament for the space nation Asgardia, going back to the Moon and beyond will rest entirely on the private sector.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Öpik explained how spaceflight mavericks like Elon Musk are paving the way for affordable rocket launches to become a reality in the next few decades.
The key, he argued, is the rapid development of reusable rocket technology pioneered by SpaceX.
Mr Öpik said: “The American Space Shuttle was an in-between compromise. It wasn’t completely reusable, they could have done it a bit better but the cost-savings led to expedience.
“Now, Elon Musk has got it pretty sorted. He’s got a rocket, which can more or less be reused.
“There’s no point in Asgardia or anybody else building rockets, the private sector will deliver them.
More:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1161472/NASA-news-Apollo-Moon-landing-Elon-Musk-SpaceX-news-Asgardia
