And concerns about the disproportionate influence of big business and other special interests on American elections and policy seem ripped from modern headlines.

CNN: What we in 2012 can learn from Teddy Roosevelt in 1912

With the success behind it, SpaceX still needs to demonstrate the long-term strength of its business model, according to Howard McCurdy, a space policy expert and professor of public affairs at American University in Washington, D.

WSJ: Private Space Run Makes History