English 中文网 漫画网 爱新闻iNews 翻译论坛
中国网站品牌栏目(频道)
当前位置: Language Tips > Special Speed News VOA慢速

SpaceX is doing business in space

[ 2012-05-28 17:37]     字号 [] [] []  
免费订阅30天China Daily双语新闻手机报:移动用户编辑短信CD至106580009009

This is the VOA Special English ECONOMICS REPORT.

Space Explorations Technologies, or SpaceX, may be a company to watch in the coming years. This week, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The launch vehicle and its reusable Dragon capsule were carrying supplies for the International Space Station.

The countdown sounded like this.

SpaceX is doing business in space

GEORGE DILLER: "Three, two, one, zero and launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, as NASA turns to the private sector to resupply the International Space Station."

The space agency's George Diller was right. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is turning to private companies to provide services like bringing supplies to the space station.

NASA official Bill Gerstenmaier spoke to reporters after the launch. He said NASA has already signed agreements with SpaceX for the company's services.

BILL GERSTENMAIER: "We've already initiated the contract for 12 flights with SpaceX going forward under Commercial Resupply Services and those are already in place."

The contract is worth 1.6 billion dollars. Mr. Gerstenmaier said the United States no longer pays Russia to carry out such operations.

SpaceX is based in Hawthorne, California. Elon Musk started the company in 2002. But, it is not the first company founded the South African-born businessman. He also started the Internet payment service, PayPal, which is now owned by online auction store, Ebay. His other company, Tesla Motors, makes electric cars.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Musk likened space travel to where Internet technology was in the 1990s. At that time, businesses were just starting to think about how to sell goods and services on the World Wide Web. Today, billions of dollars in goods and services are sold online.

But after the launch, Elon Musk tried to keep his attention on the job at hand.

ELON MUSK: "Well, I think right now our focus is very much on serving the International Space Station with cargo and then transitioning to crew and then advancing the state of our rocket technology ... I think the critical breakthrough in rocket technology is to make full and rapidly reusable rocket."

The Dragon capsule is designed to be able to carry both astronauts and cargo. SpaceX says it has 40 launches planned over the next few years and contracts worth four billion dollars. It says 60 percent of its upcoming flights are for businesses, not the government.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. For transcripts, MP3s and now PDFs of our programs for e-readers, go to voaspecialenglish.com. And follow us on Facebook and iTunes at VOA Learning English. I'm Mario Ritter.

Related stories:

After 30 years, the space shuttle program retires

美公司拟派机器人太空开矿 卡梅隆加入

Test of big space rocket set for late 2012

美私企成功发射首个商业飞船

(来源:VOA 编辑:旭燕)

 
中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
 

关注和订阅

人气排行

翻译服务

中国日报网翻译工作室

我们提供:媒体、文化、财经法律等专业领域的中英互译服务
电话:010-84883468
邮件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn