...and pretty much nobody knows. Google News has a mere 43 results for the launch yesterday.
What launch? Why, the second launch of SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket, and
(this is the important part)
its first paid flight.
SpaceX had three launch failures for the Falcon 1 (the third one was oh so close), and as a result decided that they would send up a dummy payload for the fourth as they were yet to demonstrate that their rockets even did what they were supposed to (get into space, place payloads into orbit). That one was a success last year, and just yesterday they sent up their fifth Falcon 1, carrying RazakSat, a satellite that Malaysia owns and paid SpaceX to launch.
You can see here what a benefit to the country this near-equatorial orbit is, as it goes by or near Malaysia every time it orbits the Earth.
What makes SpaceX different is this:
-it's completely privately funded (Elon Musk, the guy that also owns Tesla)
-it's much cheaper to send a payload up through them than other companies. Prohibitive launching cost is THE number one reason why we aren't a spacefaring civilization yet. Lower the cost and we'll be in space all the time.
IOW, now there is a company out there that is capable of doing something that only publicly-funded space agencies have been able to do until now, and for much less too. One Falcon 1 flight will set you back $8 million, a pittance really.
Publicly-funded space programs are best at first for turning out pure science, as there is no need to worry about making a profit in the end. At the same time though, private industry needs to be able to compete with space agencies in key areas such as sending satellites into LEO, cargo to the ISS, and even making their own space stations (Bigelow Aerospace). Now that SpaceX has had two successful flights plus their first paid flight, all of a sudden there is a new launcher out there that companies and other countries can turn to that costs less than the rest...and is based in California and employs 800 people too.
So rec this diary way way up! It's important!
Nah, I know it won't happen. Events like this never get the attention they deserve. But it's okay, because the industry itself has changed as a result of this and any media attention is simply icing on the cake. An upstart company in the US changed the world yesterday.
Here's a video of the launch. Starts a bit after 2 minutes in.