Comment Didn't they used to...? (Score 1) 64
I seem to recall that NASA used to launch commercial satellites from the shuttle, before that whole nasty Challenger-blowing-up thing back in '86. I don't think they've launched a commercial satellite since, they've been concentrating largely on scientific payloads...anyone have any more data on why this is?
And, on a more pragmatic note, would anyone actually pay to launch a commercial satellite on the shuttle? What with the competition between Boeing, Lockheed, the ESA, the Russian Space Agency, and the Chinese to boost satellites these days, it would seem a *lot* cheaper to use one of their launch systems rather than paying NASA directly to launch two SRBs, a fuel tank, an orbiter, five to ten crew, and all the equipment necessary to keep them alive along with your satellite...you know it'll get up there in one piece, but is it worth the tradeoff?
And, on a more pragmatic note, would anyone actually pay to launch a commercial satellite on the shuttle? What with the competition between Boeing, Lockheed, the ESA, the Russian Space Agency, and the Chinese to boost satellites these days, it would seem a *lot* cheaper to use one of their launch systems rather than paying NASA directly to launch two SRBs, a fuel tank, an orbiter, five to ten crew, and all the equipment necessary to keep them alive along with your satellite...you know it'll get up there in one piece, but is it worth the tradeoff?
