What SpaceX demonstrated to the scientific & engineering world was that what was once thought to be solely in the realm of large, wealthy, national government agencies, a startup with a few dozen or hundred engineers can accomplish.

They didn’t just prove that though, they proved that a private company could even do things that government & many industry experts said were impossible, like landing & reusing rockets; and they proved that to investors and students as well.

Best part is this realization isnt just confined to space industry. In addition to multiple space startups getting millions of dollars in funding after SpaceX’s success, the thought that private industry could do science projects better than gov spilled over into nuclear fusion.

Multiple nuclear fusion startups began receiving funding from investors in the hopes that maybe the issues they were facing were institutional (government bureaucracy) & not technical. As a result, what was once expected to be 20 years away, may very well only be a few years away

And the really best part about all this isnt just the infinite energy that fusion will bring us, because fusion power isnt just a new way to light a lightbulb, its a whole new energy source that can do new kinds of things, like nuclear fusion rocket propulsion.

Fusion rockets can get exhaust velocities up to 7% the speed of light. A well engineered rocket can reach velocities of twice its exhaust velocity, which means humanity will have access to space transportation systems that can travel up to 10% the speed of light.

This puts the entire solar system in reach within weeks, and opens the door for humanity to interstellar travel.

From @robert_zubrin’s book The Case for Space.

Favorite part about all this is that it’ll inspire an entrepreneurial revolution in education. Public schools havent given us a more educated public. Maybe these School Choice bills popping up nationwide will create more entrepreneurs who will take us beyond the stars