As the Space Shuttle Endeavor waits on the launch pad for optimal weather conditions, the -founded SpaceX launched its second successful rocket into orbit late Monday night carrying a into orbit.

The first successful launch came last September after a very public and very embarrassing failed launch while attempting to carry another Malaysian satellite, a small NASA satellite and the ashes of James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty on the original Star Trek TV series.

Launched from the Kwajelein Atoll in the South Pacific, the SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket was charged with delivering the lightweight Malaysian satellite, RazakSAT into orbit and did so successfully nearly ten minutes into the trouble free flight.

With the end of NASA's space shuttle program approaching ever so quickly, privately funded companies like SpaceX are beginning to look like the future of space flight, that is, until Congress approves heavy funding for the next NASA space delivery system. []