Private: Web Articles
Public Offerings for Space Travel | R&D Mag
Space tourism has already enjoyed a nearly 10-year run with steady business (only seven customers, but at $20-35 million apiece). Most of us will never get the opportunity, but we might be able to soon own a piece of the action if space entrepreneur Elon Musk is ready for shareholder meetings. Camille Ricketts of the blog Green Beat thinks it’s one way for the entrepreneur to keep the wheels turning and the rockets burning on his high-flying SpaceX and Tesla ventures.
European space company wants solar power plant in space | PhysOrg.Com
"EADS Astrium, Europe's biggest space company, plans to put a solar power satellite in orbit to demonstrate the collection of solar power in space and its transmission via infrared laser to provide electricity on Earth."
"The transmission of power via infrared laser has been tested in Astrium’s laboratories, and they are now concentrating on improving the system’s efficiency. Work on developing converters...[for] received infrared energy to electricity is proceeding rapidly, and Astrium is collaborating in this work with scientists at the University of Surrey, in the UK. The company is hoping to achieve 80% efficiency in the conversion."
Development of the American commercial space industry: imminent federal decisions and implications for economic development in the states
"It’s very early to have much certainty, but I’d say that a shift in federal policy toward commercial operation presages a subtle but notable shift in the center of gravity of the American space program from the South/Southeast to the Far West and Southwest, with lots of interesting economic-development consequences.
The table in this article by Hochman summarizes these data, noting the broad mandates of these space authorities to develop comprehensive aerospace sectors, including enabling technologies of all types. The table also lists states with NASA Centers and their expertises, some but not all of which will be salient to Augustine’s call for enhanced attention to “technology development” necessary to meet long-term, inspirational space goals."
Report Commercial Spaceflight Investment on the Rise | SpaceNews.com
"U.S. firms seeking to open space to private citizens saw a modest 6 percent growth in 2008 with over a quarter of a billion dollars in total collective revenue last year, though investment in the emerging personal spaceflight industry rose more than 20 percent since January 2008, according to highlights of an annual report commissioned by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
Carissa Christensen, co-founder and managing partner of the Alexandria, Va.-based Tauri Group, a market research firm that prepared the report, said the findings were based on interviews with 22 U.S. commercial spaceflight companies, including most members firms of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation."
The Space Industry: Contractor vs Commercial? | The Space Review
"One of the ongoing problems that NASA, the DoD, and the space industry face is how to define which companies are contractors and which are “commercial”. Another way to put it: who is Lockheed Martin, and who is United Airlines? Finding an acceptable way to tell the difference between the two may help everyone define what the “NewSpace” industry is and what it is not?" The CSG has given up on NewSpace vs Traditional Space because of the inevitable hybridization. Boeing may dump some profits into ventures with Bigelow Aerospace and then go after NASA subsidies for crew transport to LEO. If someone owns something it can sell related to space, we think it's space commerce.
Bolden Says Commercial Crew a Tough Sell for NASA Old Guard | SpaceNews.com
"NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told an audience of space entrepreneurs and U.S. lawmakers he is skeptical of the private sector’s ability to take over manned operations in low Earth orbit, but is hopeful commercial space companies will succeed." Bolden said the promise of space in our time is the opening of a new frontier to the next generation of space entrepreneurs, researchers, engineers, academicians and service industry workers. “It’s an exciting time to be in the space business,” he said, “Let the competition begin.” Bolden, of course, is also referring to the competition between what is often called NewSpace and Traditional Space entities.
Bank tells of Virgin Galactic funding struggle | ArabianBusiness.com
"Credit Suisse, the financial adviser to Virgin Galactic on the $280m Abu Dhabi deal last month, has spoken of the battle faced by Sir Richard Branson’s company in finding an investor.
The investment banker, who helped put the deal together between Virgin Galactic and Aabar Investments, said in an interview with Arabian Business that the current economic malaise along with uncertainty surrounding a greenfield project like space travel ‘presented a challenge’ for Branson’s company in raising capital."
Open space - The Engineer
"There is a potentially potent force driving the development of space technology. One with a huge budget, an imagination unbridled by political red tape and the desire to fulfill a lifelong ambition whatever the cost: the space tourist. Space tourism, or private space exploration, is still an exceptionally new industry. Its nascent moment came in 2001 when US multi-millionaire Dennis Tito paid fledgling space tourism company Space Adventures around $20m (£12m) to be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. Five other millionaires have followed in his footsteps, most recently UK-born video-game developer Richard Garriot, who spent 10 days aboard the ISS at a reported cost of $30m. Considering the huge sums flying about, it is tempting to wonder what relevance these voyages could have to the rest of us. However, many believe that the dreams of this handful of millionaires have paved the way for a new generation of space technology that could put not just tourists but a host of scientific payloads into orbit at a fraction of today's costs." Garriott's trip is stimulating interesting discussions in the UK regarding space commerce. Thanks to Doug Messien of Parabolic Arc for this good find.
Space Business and Money: The Space Business Forum View | Popular Mechanics
"Of all the tons of fuel that drives modern space flight, cash is the most critical. That was the stark reality brought front and center on Wednesday at the first-ever Space Business Forum in New York, where leading rocket scientists, military officers and even hedge-fund managers crunched the numbers to illuminate the future of the space industry. From the European influence on suborbital tourism to why the Air Force doesn't trust private rockets, and from the increasingly outsourced business model at NASA to a place for that other "green" movement, here's a news analysis of where the power lies." This was the first event of this kind sponsored by The Space Foundation.
PowerSat Files Patent App for Space Solar Power Technology | Parabolic Arc
"Solar from space: It may sound like a bad sci-fi movie, but a growing number of companies think it could solve the world’s energy crisis. Among them is Everett, Wash.-based PowerSat Corp., which said today it’s filed a provisional patent for two technologies it claims could help make the transmission of solar power from space more cost-effective. CEO William Maness also told us that the 8-year-old company has received commitments for $3-$5 million in angel funding, which it’s using to develop wireless power demonstrations on Earth, and is currently in negotiations for a first venture round in the single-digit millions. The PowerSat news comes after Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Solaren, another space solar company, in April signed a deal to provide power to northern California utility PG&E. And Swiss startup Space Energy recently said it’s working to launch a prototype satellite into space in 2-3 years."