More proof that PRIVATE ENTERPRISE IS THE WAY TO GO FOR SPACE EXPLORATION!
Indeed! If this had been a NASA project, the vehicle would still be in the conceptual planning stage, billions of dollars over budget, and it would probably end up being scrapped by some damned committee.
NASA lost its cajones when they replaced the "can-do" spirit of the engineers with the "we got us a shuttle fleet so we need nothing else" mindset of the bureaucrats.
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but look at the Space Shuttle program.
Being a gub'mint agency and therefore beholden to screeching environmentalist whackos, NASA gave in and replaced the sturdy main fuel tank insulation with some eco-friendly crap. That happy touchy-feely-feel-good crap flaked off during launch and caused the fatal damage to the skin of the craft and cost our astronauts their lives.
So do the bureaucrats at NASA switch back to the tried-and-true formula for tank insulation, get back up on their feet, and recommence Shuttle missions? Hell no! It's back to the merry go round of committes, committees, committees, and more committees.
If the government would have been the sole supplier of aviation during the early 20th century, trans-Atlantic flights would still only be accessible to the wealthy and powerful, and only on prop-driven aircraft. The Boeing 747 would be trapped in the realm of science fiction, instead of a fact of daily life.
Fortunately, thanks to Paul Allen, Burt Rutan, and the fine crew at Scaled Composites, we now know that private enterprise is ready and willing to step up to the plate, take the risks, and reap the rewards of the exploration of space.
Just wait until word gets around that the average iron-nickel asteroid contains trillions of dollars worth of metals. The words "deep space gold rush" come to mind.
Sorry about the rant, but NASA sucks these days. Tragic, considering the drive and spirit they had back in the glory days of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.
Call me back when they go a little higher than 100 km.