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A comment on Google Nears $1 Billion Investment in SpaceX. Parent comment

Re:Google Nears $1 Billion Investment in SpaceX by dingaling on Tuesday January 20, 2015 @05:24AM (#8916268)
Space transport has always been commercial.

Who do you think designed and built the Saturn V? Redstone? Atlas? Ariane?

Commercial companies making a profit.

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Re:Google Nears $1 Billion Investment in SpaceX by termain on Tuesday January 20, 2015 @01:34PM (#8918544)
Roughly:

Redstone: Designer: Army Ballistic Missile Agency (Now Marshall Spaceflight Center) Manufacturer: Chrysler

Atlas: Convair and its successor interests (General Dynamics, Lockheed, ULA)

Saturn V: NASA Marshall, Boeing, North American and Douglas

Ariane: EADS Astrium and Arianespace/CNES (French Space Agency)

So, yeah, they've always been commercial, but they haven't always been commerically driven or (entirely) commercially managed.

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