А теперь посмеявшись обращаемся к первоисточникам ..
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/12/0 ... index.html
"We're excited about this opportunity," said Larry Williams, who handles international and government affairs for California-based Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, which plans its debut rocket launch this month.
SpaceX was founded and funded by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, who sold his online payment services firm PayPal to eBay for $1.5 billion.
Musk is developing a series of launchers, called the Falcon, which, if successful, could significantly undercut the price routinely paid to aerospace giants Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., to send payloads into orbit.
Other start-up firms that have expressed interest in NASA's space station business include t/Space, SpaceDev Inc., Constellation Services International, Inc., AirLaunch LLC, SPACEHAB Inc., Andrews Space Inc., Rocketplane Ltd., Universal Space Lines and Bigelow Aerospace, NASA's procurement Web site shows.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which manufacture and sell the Delta and Atlas expendable launch vehicles, have kept any aspirations of becoming NASA's space station truckers under wraps.
"As long as it's a level playing field, we're open to compete with them any time and anywhere," said SpaceX's Williams.
Companies have until February 10 to submit proposals to NASA for its transport services. The agency expects to award one or more contracts in May.
