Popular Science calls Falcon 9 “The First Astronaut-Worthy Private Rocket In Orbit” and goes on to explain, “When NASA retires the space shuttle next year, the only American-owned option the U.S. government will have for getting cargo to the international Space Station is to ride with a private spaceflight company. Such an arrangement became viable in June, when SpaceX’s Falcon 9 — a 180-foot, kerosene-and-liquid-oxygen-fueled rocket capable of delivering six metric tons of cargo or seven astronauts to orbit—made its maiden voyage to space.”
“At SpaceX, we have ambitious goals for the future of human spaceflight. We are working every day to bring about significant breakthroughs that will improve the reliability and cost of space transportation,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO. “It is a tremendous honor for the Falcon 9 to be recognized by the world’s largest science and technology magazine as one of the best innovations of 2010.”
Why is SpaceX so proud? As Popular Science says, “SpaceX engineers designed nearly every piece of the rocket from scratch.”
“For 23 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us − those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our views of what’s possible in the future,” said Mark Jannot, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science. “The Best of What’s New Award is the magazine’s top honor, and the 100 winners — chosen from among thousands of entrants — represent the highest level of achievement in their fields.”
SpaceX is featured in this December’s special issue, now on newsstands and online. The launch will be webcast live at.