And this time it means business

摘要

It Is hard to think of a better example of how routine space flight has become than the cargo missions that bring supplies to the International Space Station (iss). But the one that docked with it at 1.03pm gmt on October 10th is special, for two reasons: it included a delivery of ice cream, a rare treat for the astronauts exiled there; and it is the first cargo flight to the station undertaken by a commercial company. Its success is a vindication of the decision by nasa, America's space agency, to delegate such missions to the private sector.