Monday, May 1, 2017
SpaceX is contracting with the U.S. military
A SpaceX launched a rocket that was carrying a U.S. military satellite. This satellite will be used for spying.
I think it's kind of risky for the U.S. to be relying on private companies to put military satellites into orbit. There is some competition in the industry though, but it would still be wise to have a backup plan.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1093006/world
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SpaceX is a young company. Their ground control is literally made up of guys and gals in their twenties. I think that they have the enthusiasm that is needed for this kind of thing. It shows itself in the fact that they try to recover their rockets. NASA just lets theirs burn up on re-entry.
ReplyDeleteI'm not too keen on the idea of a spy satellite, but they have proved their uses in the past. Take Mosul for example.
I also think that it should be fine for a private company to launch a military satellite for the government. Now, there is a line that I can see that shouldn't be crossed, but I think that a satellite is within those boundaries.
I actually think our military satellites have been launched by private companies for years. The article mentions that Lockhead Martin and Boeing have partnered to do this in the past, holding a monopoly on the contracts until now. The reality is, normal human beings are the ones who build, launch, and maintain the satellites. We aren't used to thinking about SpaceX, but Lockhead and Boeing are companies we usually think of in terms of defense contracts. People who work there go through background checks and are committed to certain security policies--as much or sometimes even more than some of our military. I'm sure the same applies to SpaceX as well.
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