Why is today& #39;s launch such a big deal?

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚀" title="Rocket" aria-label="Emoji: Rocket">It& #39;s the first launch to the ISS from US soil in nearly a decade

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚀" title="Rocket" aria-label="Emoji: Rocket">It& #39;s the first crewed launch to orbit from a private spacecraft

#LaunchAmerica

Why did it take so long to get here?

Mix of "space is hard" program delays - but also, this program wasn& #39;t funded properly in the beginning. Not everyone thought this was a great idea initially.

The shuttle was retired in 2011 - what did we do in the meantime?

We paid the Russians to shuttle our Astronauts to/from the ISS. The cost per seat on a Soyuz today is around $86 Million.

Cost per seat on Crew Dragon is ~$55 Million

This flight is the biggest, most important event that has happened in human spaceflight in the last decade.

I cannot emphasize enough how high the stakes are here. For SpaceX, for NASA, for everyone involved.

All flights are impt - but this one is historic.

#LaunchAmerica