[kchoudhu]

I don't object to the respondent: it's true, SpaceX has broken out of earth orbit -- but that's still a far cry from deploying to Mars.

My point stands: SpaceX needs to get to Mars once before we can start calling them serious interplanetary contenders.

[greglindahl]

I'm not sure why it's important to debate whether or not a company is a "serious interplanetary contender", but I do think it's important to get the facts correct.