WASHINGTON – NASA controllers and curious spectators won't be the only ones watching the upcoming launch of the first commercial vehicle to the International Space Station.
Lawmakers, administration officials and other policy makers with a role in deciding NASA spending will be watching as well.
The launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, now scheduled for April, is billed as a demonstration mission to show the world a private company can safely deliver cargo to the space station.
But the launch also can be seen as a test of whether it was a good idea to retire the shuttle and have the private sector take over the job of carrying crew and cargo to the space station. SpaceX is one of four companies receiving government funding to develop the new spacecraft.
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