SPACEX
Rocket: Falcon 9
Capsule: Dragon
CEO Elon Musk is getting $1.6 billion for 12 deliveries (it works out to $36,000 per pound) to be completed by 2016. And so far, so good: The first unmanned Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS in May 2012. (Manned Dragons will come later.) The goal, SpaceX says, is a reusable ship that can make a launchpad pit stop, then blast off into the ether the same day. The capsule even has a superstrong heat shield made of resin-enriched carbon fiber. For fuel, Falcon rockets burn liquid oxygen and RP-1, a refined form of kerosene. It's tricky to store, but it won't be hanging around on the launchpad, since SpaceX is planning those same-day turnarounds. Musk's Falcon is designed to be scalable, with more engines—because ultimately he plans to send this space Ferrari to Mars. The ISS is just a stepping stone.
Capsule Height: 23.6 feet
Rocket Height: 227 feet
Cargo Mass (going up): 13,228 lbs.
Cargo Mass (going down): 6,614 lbs.