Private space companies are reinventing the rules of spaceflight. From launching satellites to transporting cargo to the International Space Station, these visionary entrepreneurs are helping humanity become a multi-planet species.
Formerly, only nation states developed and operated spacecraft above the Karman line. Today, several privately-held companies offer competitive launch services and have constructed two orbital space habitats.
1. Reusable Launch Vehicles
For decades, launching satellites or spacecraft into orbit was only achievable through building and discarding new rockets each time – an expensive, slow, and wasteful practice.
SpaceX revolutionized this process when they invented their reusable rocket boosters, which allow a single booster to fly multiple missions at reduced launch costs and faster turnaround, thus significantly lowering launch costs and increasing launch cadences.
Reusable rocket models also reduce space debris and lower fuel consumption, making space travel more accessible and affordable worldwide. As such, these advances help make space travel more cost-effective and available to people across the globe.
Private companies like SpaceX are making science fiction reality with NASA astronauts landing aboard their ships and traveling to space stations like the International Space Station with private companies such as SpaceX. And with venture capital firms pouring money into startups with ambitious goals, private space revolution seems likely to continue and expand mankind’s reach into outer space. Unfortunately, however, optimism may run into some unexpected obstacles along this journey.
2. Space Exploration
SpaceX is revolutionizing space travel by making it possible for ordinary citizens to board astronaut-grade spacecrafts and explore space.
This could speed the expansion of human spaceflight, eventually making it affordable to everyday citizens. Furthermore, it would spur innovations such as reusable rockets and lower carbon propulsion systems.
SpaceX could lead to an orbiting space station run commercially by SpaceX and free NASA from incurring costs associated with running one, freeing them up for deeper space exploration missions like those to the moon and Mars.
Additionally, SpaceX is exploring methods of capturing and reusing boosters, which will significantly reduce launch costs for missions involving large payloads destined for orbit or the moon. By doing this more frequently cargo could be launched more frequently leading to ambitious ventures such as global satellite internet service provision or trips to the moon.
3. Space Transportation
SpaceX’s reusable rockets are making space travel much less costly. Traditionally, rockets used by space industry were only meant to be used once before being retired; with SpaceX’s revolutionary reusable technology enabling their rockets to be refueled and launched multiple times at lower costs than before, reducing overall transportation expenses significantly.
SpaceX made history when their Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered cargo to the International Space Station for NASA for the first time, marking a first in private industry operations of crewed spacecraft for NASA. Since then, SpaceX has won major NASA contracts to transport both cargo and astronauts to ISS while developing plans to bring people to Mars.
SpaceX plans to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four people to the International Space Station under an agreement with NASA in 2023, while Starlink, their satellite constellation that could deliver high speed internet access from orbit, will help grow and sustain commercial space operations. These business models should help expand and sustain this sector of commercial space activity.
4. Commercial Space Services
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, capable of transporting seven astronauts, will allow paying customers for the first time ever to fly into orbit using pay-as-you-go models for commercial spaceflight. Although initial flights will only be open to those able to afford millions in fees, if successful they could pave the way for regular commercial spaceflight services in future.
Suborbital flights could provide minutes or hours of microgravity to conduct experiments. Such missions could also be used for planetary exploration or the establishment of a space hotel.
SpaceX stands apart from traditional “old space” companies like Boeing by having an ambitious long-term plan of enabling human flight to other planets – this vision sets it apart and makes its work meaningful to humanity, thus meriting our admiration and confidence that they will continue making the world better with their efforts.
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