[jmcenanly]

I think that Elon Musk's Space-Xcompany would be able to do it well within a decade. This is the company that recently berthed a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS on its second flight. He is also working on Saturn class launchers, one of which. the Falcon Heavy, is due for a test launch in Mid 2013 , and will be boosting a satellite for Intelsat shortly thereafter.

[Moonman62]

I think that Elon Musk's Space-Xcompany would be able to do it well within a decade. This is the company that recently berthed a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS on its second flight. He is also working on Saturn class launchers, one of which. the Falcon Heavy, is due for a test launch in Mid 2013 , and will be boosting a satellite for Intelsat shortly thereafter.

You're right. We are at the beginning of an exciting new era, yet some people are whining about the good old days when the federal government led the way, and space travel was so expensive and inefficient that only a few could go.

Spacex tested a new engine yesterday that is the most efficient booster engine ever built by anyone, the Merlin 1D.