Called the successor to the Shuttle, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered into the heavens from Cape Canaveral at 14:45 6/4/2010, and achieved orbit 10 minutes later.

This rocket was developed by a private company.  NASA has chosen two such companies to supply its next generation of launch vehicles. This is an IMPORTANT development, and a historic moment; private industry will now be able to put stuff into orbit (and eventually, hopefully, the moon and beyond).

SpaceX Falcon 9 website: http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php – It’s interesting to note that 3/4 of the way down this site is pricing information.  That’s right!  THIS is how much it’ll cost you to put a package into one of several different orbits  – and we CAN do it for you.

Update 6/7/2010: Here’s a link to a post with reactions from some Senators and Representatives: http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/06/04/congressional-reaction-to-falcon-9-launch/