What if the Challenger Disaster never happened? Would SpaceX have even been created?

The Falcon 9 rocket may reach 50 launches on Tuesday

SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 rocket less than a decade ago, in June 2010. Early next week, the California-based rocket company will go for its 50th launch of its workhorse booster. The launch attempt will come as soon as early next Tuesday, 12:33am ET, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

From article, ([W]hat might have happened with the space shuttle program had it not suffered the fatal Challenger accident on January 28, 1986[?] NASA had flown the shuttle nine times the year before, and the space agency had already launched one space shuttle mission in 1986. It is conceivable that NASA could have doubled its 1985 total in 1986, especially with an additional launch site coming online in California.

"If the Challenger disaster never occurred, military and intelligence payloads might have not moved over to expendable launch vehicles as quickly, especially in light of the Air Force being on the verge of expanding shuttle operations for its own purposes from the West Coast," Robert Pearlman, editor of the space history news website collectSPACE.com, told Ars.

Without the accident, the White House might also have allowed the space shuttle to continue launching commercial satellites for paying customers. This means Lockheed Martin and Boeing probably wouldn't have moved forward with development of modern version of their Atlas and Delta rockets.

"Without those moves in place, it is questionable if there would have been a market to sustain the Atlas and Delta flight rates as they came to be," Pearlman said. "And lacking a foundation for a commercial space launch market, one then wonders if SpaceX would ever come to be—or at least be as aggressive in their development as they are today.")

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A Movie Coming to Your Local Economy, "Trade Wars". While making sense, may turn out not to make cents.

Trump threatens to tax European auto imports

U.S. President Donald Trump kept up pressure on trading partners on Saturday, threatening European automakers with a tax on imports if the European Union retaliates against his plan to slap tariffs on aluminum and steel. Trump's tweet suggested he is refusing to yield to U.S. business interests

 From article, (U.S. President Donald Trump kept up pressure on trading partners on Saturday, threatening European automakers with a tax on imports if the European Union retaliates against his plan to slap tariffs on aluminum and steel.

Trump's tweet suggested he is refusing to yield to U.S. business interests and foreign trading partners alarmed at the prospect of a trade war that rattled financial markets this week.

"If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S.," Trump wrote on Twitter. "They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!"

The United States imposes a 2.5-percent tariff on cars assembled in Europe and a 25-percent tariff on European-built vans and pickup trucks. Europe imposes a 10-percent tariff on U.S.-built cars.

"The European Union: brutal. They've been brutal to us," Trump said at a Florida fundraiser. "They've banded together in order to beat the United States in trade.

The United States accounts for about 15 percent of worldwide Mercedes-Benz and BMW brand sales, while it accounts for 5 percent of VW brand sales and 12 percent of Audi sales.

The United States had a $22.3 billion automotive vehicle and parts trade deficit with Germany in 2017 and a $7 billion deficit with the United Kingdom, according to U.S. government data.

Last year, Germany's automotive trade association said "the United States would be shooting itself in the foot by imposing tariffs or other trade barriers."

Trump's threat comes amid mounting transatlantic tension on trade.

On Thursday, Trump said the United States would apply duties of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum to protect domestic producers. 

Major automakers say the move will hike the cost of cars and trucks.

The next day, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German television that "We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson (motorcycles), on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levis." 

Canada also has said it will retaliate for any tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Trump had tweeted on Friday that trade wars are good and "easy to win," roiling U.S. financial markets.)

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