Cargo deliveries to the International Space Station never are routine, but the latest one is especially notable. The big deal isn't what reached the orbiting station Sunday, but rather how 1,500 pounds of supplies got there: aboard a privately owned U.S. capsule, not one from NASA or a foreign government. A California business called Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX for short, last Friday launched a rocket named Falcon that propelled the unmanned Dragon capsule bringing fruit, other food, clothes, parts for air purifiers and science experiments to space station astronauts.

NASA hired SpaceX for a dozen resupply missions and eventually to ferry people to the station, part of a budget-related reduction in the government's space travel role. The Dragon craft has wing-like solar panels that fold out to supply electrical power. When it gets near the destination, SpaceX ground engineers maneuver four thruster engines so station astronauts can use a robot arm to grab the supply ship. It’s scheduled to return March 25 with more than 2,300 pounds of equipment.

SpaceX is one of several firms building private space taxis and cargo ships to launch astronauts and supplies. NASA, which retired its shuttle fleet in 2011, pays Russia to carry astronauts into space at about $63 million per seat. It wants companies such as SpaceX and Boeing to do that work eventually. There's also interest in potential space tourism. A millionaire former rocket scientist last week announced a nonprofit organization called Inspiration Mars Foundation, with the goal of launching two married volunteers in 2018 on an 18-month mission to near Mars and back. There's no spaceship or budget yet, but Dennis Tito's bold dream earns attention.

SpaceX leader says: "Falcon 9 was designed to be the world's most reliable rocket, and today's launch validated this." -- Gwynne Shotwell, company president

Mars trip planner says: "It's about inspiring the children." -- Dennis Tito

Ex-astronaut says: "There's absolutely nothing ho-hum about any spaceflight. It's a challenging business, there's no doubt about it." -- Michael Lopez-Alegria, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, an industry group