[sigstop]

I remember attending a presentation by Elon Musk on SpaceX a few years back (late 2007, I believe). At that point, SpaceX's future was very uncertain with their two launches failing.

I recall him describing the Proton as the most reliable vehicle ever engineered by humans.

I think that SpaceX is great, but, is there really a gap to fill, in this case? Where does this gap begin?

[VladRussian]

the gap is absence of competition. Monopoly situation is bad for everybody, including the monopolist itself who degrades into the state of not giving a damn f&ck about any-/everything.

[maaku]

? The gap is in time--the time between now and when the next resupply mission will be authorized to fly. In the case of Progress, it is uncertain when that will be.