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0 pointsspenczar59y ago0 comments

What? No. Orbital (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_Sciences_Corporation) launched a rocket into space in 1990, entirely privately.

France [1], Japan [2], India [3], Israel [4], Iran [5], and even North Korea [6] have developed and launched rockets that successfully put satellites in orbit.

I like Elon as much as the next guy, but this mythologizing is just too much.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamant

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_(rocket_family)

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Launch_Vehicle

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavit

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safir_(rocket)

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unha

0 comments

RubberSpoon9y ago

It's a misquote from the Elon Musk Wait But Why article: http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/05/elon-musk-the-worlds-raddest-m...

"the four entities in history who have managed to launch a spacecraft into orbit and successfully return it to Earth are the US, Russia, China—and SpaceX"

greglindahl9y ago

RubberSpoon is correct that the reference must be to re-entry. I'd like to add that the UK also put a single satellite in orbit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Arrow

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