4 ms·

The good part about launching into space is that there are many places you can launch into space, including outside of the US. Can't they just move to another p

The good part about launching into space is that there are many places you can launch into space, including outside of the US. Can't they just move to another part of the world, or across some borders?

yock 12y ago
It's probably trivial for congress to classify your rocket technology as a weapons system and forbid export.
- jbigelow76 12y ago
  But it wouldn't be export if you're not an American company. SpaceX could move south of the border and become SpaceMeX, problem solved :)
  - seanflyon 12y ago
    That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works.
- Crito 12y ago
  That has already been done. It's called ITAR: http://fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/itar/p121.htm#C-IV http://fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/itar/p121.htm#C-IV
drzaiusapelord 12y ago
Except SpaceX is a defacto government program considering its funded by the COTS program (and other pork/favors) and its main customer is going to be the USG. Also, the corruption works in SpaceX's favor. You have to be some blind free market type to believe that Musk isn't using the system for his benefit via the typical favor/donation system that rules Washington. Why would he leave the bed of gold we spin for him? Space contractor in the US is a sweet gig, and Musk knows it. He's not going anywhere, especially over a over-politicized minor bump in the road such as this. This blog posting sells ad impressions and gives people their 2 minutes hate against $other_political_party, but to guys like Musk its meaningless and if it does have a cost, its washed up in the cost of doing business.
- bmelton 12y ago
  To be fair, the "blind free market types" are generally the ones who most freely acknowledge that he's using the system to his favor. The complaint is that the things that are being done in his favor are to the detriment of tax payers as, despite how awesome Space-X is, there could be other, better, cheaper programs still, if not for all the red tape. Red tape as a corruption mechanism is there precisely to protect the incumbents. In this case Elon Musk is that incumbent. That's not a terribly prescient insight, nor is it particularly damning to free market enthusiasts, who are already well aware of this exploitation.
gknoy 12y ago
I'm not sure I'd say there are "many places" to do space launches. Launch Vehicles are large, and transport can be expensive. Also, eastward launches let you drop stages in the water, whereas west-coast launches have a harder time (if I recall right).
- lclarkmichalek 12y ago
  For an idea of how large Launch Vehicles are: the NASA Crawler-Transporter was the largest land vehicle in the world (until the creation of the Bagger 288[0]) [0]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagger_288 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagger_288
AYBABTME 12y ago
Pretty sure you can't with ITAR.
sitkack 12y ago
Given SpaceX technology, I doubt the government would let them move.

yock 12y ago

It's probably trivial for congress to classify your rocket technology as a weapons system and forbid export.

jbigelow76 12y ago
But it wouldn't be export if you're not an American company. SpaceX could move south of the border and become SpaceMeX, problem solved :)
- seanflyon 12y ago
  That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works.
Crito 12y ago
That has already been done. It's called ITAR: http://fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/itar/p121.htm#C-IV http://fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/itar/p121.htm#C-IV

drzaiusapelord 12y ago

Except SpaceX is a defacto government program considering its funded by the COTS program (and other pork/favors) and its main customer is going to be the USG. Also, the corruption works in SpaceX's favor. You have to be some blind free market type to believe that Musk isn't using the system for his benefit via the typical favor/donation system that rules Washington. Why would he leave the bed of gold we spin for him? Space contractor in the US is a sweet gig, and Musk knows it. He's not going anywhere, especially over a over-politicized minor bump in the road such as this. This blog posting sells ad impressions and gives people their 2 minutes hate against $other_political_party, but to guys like Musk its meaningless and if it does have a cost, its washed up in the cost of doing business.

bmelton 12y ago
To be fair, the "blind free market types" are generally the ones who most freely acknowledge that he's using the system to his favor. The complaint is that the things that are being done in his favor are to the detriment of tax payers as, despite how awesome Space-X is, there could be other, better, cheaper programs still, if not for all the red tape. Red tape as a corruption mechanism is there precisely to protect the incumbents. In this case Elon Musk is that incumbent. That's not a terribly prescient insight, nor is it particularly damning to free market enthusiasts, who are already well aware of this exploitation.

gknoy 12y ago

I'm not sure I'd say there are "many places" to do space launches. Launch Vehicles are large, and transport can be expensive. Also, eastward launches let you drop stages in the water, whereas west-coast launches have a harder time (if I recall right).

lclarkmichalek 12y ago
For an idea of how large Launch Vehicles are: the NASA Crawler-Transporter was the largest land vehicle in the world (until the creation of the Bagger 288[0]) [0]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagger_288 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagger_288

AYBABTME 12y ago

Pretty sure you can't with ITAR.

sitkack 12y ago

Given SpaceX technology, I doubt the government would let them move.