• @decerian@lemmy.world
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        102 months ago

        ULA is already a private company. I don’t think the US government has done any of their own work to get to space since the shuttle.

          • @Bimfred@lemmy.world
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            82 months ago

            The SLS is arguable, I’d say. The design requirements were set by the government, but it’s not built by NASA. It’s built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and ULA, all of which are private companies. I don’t think NASA has ever built a rocket, actual construction has always been contracted out to private companies. Even the first Atlas was repurposed from an ICBM built by Convair and General Dynamics.

            • FaceDeer
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              62 months ago

              And even if SLS is an example of non-private rocketry, it’s hardly something that should be touted as a positive example. Especially not when launch pace is your criterion.

        • @yogurt@lemm.ee
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          32 months ago

          The Space Shuttle was also a private company. United Space Alliance LLC owned the Space Shuttles, United Launch Alliance LLC owns the military rockets, Deep Space Transport LLC owns the SLS rocket.

          “Privatized” space just means instead of the government hiring Boeing or Lockheed to design a rocket according to their requirements, picking contractors to build it, and creating an LLC owned by all the contractors to pay them, Jeff Bezos hires ex-Boeing and Lockheed employees to build a rocket to his requirements, and then sues the government until they agree to pay him to launch it.

    • FaceDeer
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      -212 months ago

      Yeah, why aren’t regular folks building reusable heavy-lift rocket systems?

      • @webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
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        32
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        2 months ago

        Why cant scientific progress not be a group effort with everyone doing their part according to their means?

        Why does it have to be the greed addicts with the power to initiate human greatness and ingenuity?

        Don’t we all want essentially the same things?

        • sustainable production of (luxury) goods

        • sustainable power production

        • sustainable homes in a sustainable climate

        • to evolve as a species and explore more of the unknowns in the cosmos

      • wagesj45
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        262 months ago

        I wish we were, through taxes. Though we’d probably just pay Boeing forty-eleventy billion dollars to never complete the project.

        • FaceDeer
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          22 months ago

          Some are, but they still don’t build rockets. I think there’s some other factor that’s important.

  • @JaymesRS
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    452 months ago

    Bah, like the Romulans could do any better.

    • SharkAttak
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      22 months ago

      Imagine their faces when they’ll tell em it’s a work of fiction…

  • @treadful@lemmy.zip
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    132 months ago

    Damn, wonder why ULA is up for sale. Boeing and Lockheed don’t want to play together anymore?