This space for sale

Private spaceflight is flight above 100km Earth altitude conducted by an entity other than a government. Private spaceflight from Earth to space includes space launchers and suborbital spaceplanes. Private spaceflight in Earth orbit includes telecommunication satellites, satellite television, and satellite radio. Planned private spaceflights beyond Earth orbit include solar sailing prototypes, deep space burial and personal spaceflights around the Moon while private orbital habitats are planned for Earth orbit. Image File history File links STS-51A_SatellitesForSale. ... Image File history File links STS-51A_SatellitesForSale. ... A spaceplane is a rocket plane designed to pass the edge of space. ... MILSTAR:A communication satellite A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... Concept image of a solar sail spacecraft in the process of unfurling sails. ... A pair of ONeill cylinders Interior of a Torus (doughnut-shaped) station A space habitat, also called space colony or orbital colony, is a space station intended as a permanent settlement rather than as a simple waystation or other specialized facility. ...

History of commercial space transportation

Main article: Expendable launch system

Launch of a Proton rocket. (NASA)

During the early years of spaceflight only nation states had the resources to develop and fly spacecraft. Both the U.S. space program and Soviet space program were operated using mainly military pilots as astronauts. During this period, no commercial space launches were available to private operators, and no private organization was able to offer space launches. Eventually, private organizations were able to both offer and purchase space launches, thus beginning the period of private spaceflight. An expendable launch system or expendable launch vehicle, ELV, is a single-use launch vehicle usually used to launch a payload into space. ... Russian Proton rocket (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Russian Proton rocket (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Space exploration. ... This article may contain original research or unverified claims. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Soviet Soyuz rockets like the one pictured above were the first reliable means to transport objects into Earth orbit. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ...

The first phase of private space operation was the launch of the first commercial communications satellites. The U.S. Communications Satellite Act of 1962 opened the way to commercial consortia owning and operating their own satellites, although these were still launched on state-owned launch vehicles. U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. ...

European sponsorship

On March 26, 1980, the European Space Agency created Arianespace, the world's first commercial space transportation company. Arianespace produces, operates and markets the Ariane launcher family. By 1995 Arianespace lofted its 100th satellite and by 1997 the Ariane rocket had its 100th launch.[1] Arianespace's 23 shareholders represent scientific, technical, financial and political entities from 10 different European countries.[2] March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... ESA redirects here. ... Founded in 1980, Arianespace SA undertakes the production, operation and marketing of the Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rocket launchers as part of the Ariane programme. ... The Ariane Family The name Ariane refers to a series of a civilian European expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. ... MILSTAR:A communication satellite A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company (including a corporation), that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. ... This article is about the continent. ...

American deregulation

From the beginning of the Shuttle program until the Challenger disaster in 1986, it was the policy of the United States that NASA be the public-sector provider of U.S. launch capacity to the world market.[3] Initially NASA subsidized satellite launches with the intention of eventually pricing Shuttle service for the commercial market at long-run marginal cost. Space Shuttle Challenger (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was NASAs second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, after Columbia. ... In economics and finance, marginal cost is the change in total cost that arises when the quantity produced changes by one unit. ...

On October 30, 1984, United States President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Commercial Space Launch Act [4]. This enabled an American industry of private operators of expendable launch systems. Prior to the signing of this law, all commercial satellite launches in the United States were limited to NASA's Space Shuttle. October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 1984. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan GCB (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... An expendable launch system or expendable launch vehicle, ELV, is a single-use launch vehicle usually used to launch a payload into space. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ...

On November 5, 1990, United States President George H. W. Bush signed into law the Launch Services Purchase Act [5]. The Act, in a complete reversal of the earlier Space Shuttle monopoly, ordered NASA to purchase launch services for its primary payloads from commercial providers whenever such services are required in the course of its activities. November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... George Herbert Walker Bush GCB (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States of America serving from 1989 to 1993. ...

Russian privatization

The Russian government sold part of its stake in RSC Energia to private investors in 1994. Energia together with Khrunichev constituted most of the Russian manned space program. In 1997, the Russian government sold off enough of their share to lose the majority position. S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (also known as RKK Energiya) is a Russian manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components. ...

American subsidization

In 1996 the United States government selected Lockheed Martin and Boeing to each develop Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV) to compete for launch contracts and provide assured access to space. The government's acquisition strategy relied on the strong commercial viability of both vehicles to lower unit costs. Since this anticipated market demand did not materialize for the, Boeing pulled the Delta IV EELV from commercial service in 2003. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V EELV has had five commercial launches through the end of 2005. Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661 ) is an aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... The U.S. Government–sponsored Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program was intended to develop affordable alternatives to legacy medium-to-heavy-lift launch vehicles (e. ... Delta EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt) The Delta IV family of rockets are EELVs (evolved expendable launch vehicles) built by Boeing IDS. They come in five versions: medium, medium+ (4,2), medium+ (5,2), medium+ (5,4), and heavy. ... It has been suggested that some sections of this article be split into a new article entitled Atlas V launches. ... Launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 7:43:00 a. ...

Launch alliances

Since 1995 Khrunichev's Proton rocket is marketed through International Launch Services while the Soyuz rocket is marketed via Starsem. Energia builds the Soyuz rocket and owns part of the Sea Launch project which flies the Ukrainian Zenit rocket. The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... International Launch Services (or ILS)is a partnership between American defense contractor Lockheed Martin, and the Russian firm, Khrunichev, and RSC Energia for the purpose of co-marketing their respective rocket launch services. ... Soyuz rocket on launch pad. ... Starsem is a European-Russian company that was created in 1996 to commercialise the Soyuz launcher. ... Sea Launch command ship Sea Launch Commander Sea Launch launch platform Ocean Odyssey Sea Launch is a spacecraft launch service, which uses mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on top of specialized Zenit-3SL rockets. ... The Zenit rocket (Ukrainian: Зеніт, Russian: Зени́т; meaning Zenith) is a space launch vehicle manufactured by the Yuzhnoe Design Bureau of Ukraine. ...

In 2003 Arianespace joined with Boeing Launch Services and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to create the Launch Services Alliance. In 2005, continued weak commercial demand for EELV launches drove Lockheed Martin and Boeing to propose a joint venture called the United Launch Alliance to monopolize the United States government launch market[6]. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661 ) is an aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI) (三菱重工業, Mitsubishi Jūkōgyō) TYO: 7011 is a Japanese company. ... In July 2003, Arianespace joined with Boeing Launch Services and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to create the Launch Services Alliance. ... On May 2, 2005 Boeing and Lockheed Martin announced their intention to form the United Launch Alliance by merging the operations of both of their government space launch services. ...

Today many commercial space transportation companies offer launch services to satellite companies and government space organizations around the world. In 2005 there were 18 total commercial launches and 37 non-commercial launches.[7] Russia flew 44% of commercial orbital launches, while Europe had 28% and the United States had 6%.

Commercial orbital transportation services

Computer rendering of Rocketplane-Kistler K-1 approaching ISS (RpK)

On January 18, 2006 NASA finally announced an unprecendented private sector opportunity.[8] Instead of flying payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) on government operated vehicles, NASA would spend $500 million through 2010 to finance the demonstration of orbital transportation services from commercial providers. Image File history File links Kistler-COTS.jpg‎ Computer generated image of Rocketplane-Kistler K-1 upper stage approaches the International Space Station for a COTS delivery, http://www. ... Image File history File links Kistler-COTS.jpg‎ Computer generated image of Rocketplane-Kistler K-1 upper stage approaches the International Space Station for a COTS delivery, http://www. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ISS redirects here. ...

This is more challenging than extant commercial space transportation because it requires precision orbit insertion, rendezvous and possibly docking with another spacecraft. The commercial vendors[9] will compete for four specific service areas: Orbit insertion is a maneuver performed by an inter-planetary spacecraft designed to allow the spacecraft to be captured into orbit around a planet or other body such as a moon. ... A space rendezvous between two spacecraft, often between a spacecraft and a space station, is an orbital maneuver where the two arrive at the same orbit, make the orbital velocities the same, and bring them together (an approach maneuver, taxiing maneuver); it may or may not include docking. ...

• External unpressurized cargo delivery and disposal
• Internal pressurized cargo delivery and disposal
• Internal pressurized cargo delivery, return and recovery
• Crew Transportation.

After years of keeping orbital transport for human spaceflight in-house, NASA concluded that firms in a free market could develop and operate such a system more efficiently and affordably than a government bureaucracy. NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin has stated that without affordable commercial orbital transportation services (COTS), the agency will not have enough funds remaining to achieve the objectives of the Vision for Space Exploration. Human spaceflight is space exploration with a human crew, and possibly passengers (in contrast to unmanned space missions, which are remotely-controlled or robotic space probes). ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules are socially organized. ... Dr. Michael D. Griffin Dr. Michael Douglas Griffin (born November 1, 1949 in Aberdeen, Maryland) has been the Administrator of NASA since April 13, 2005. ... t/Space CXV approaches ISS (t/Space) Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a NASA program to coordinate the commercial delivery of crew and cargo to the International Space Station. ... Image from NASA site Two planned configurations for a return to the moon, heavy lift (left) and crew (right) The Vision for Space Exploration is the United States space policy announced on January 14, 2004 by President George W. Bush. ...

Furthermore, if such services are unavailable by the end of 2010, NASA would be forced to purchase orbital transportation services on foreign spacecraft such as the Russian Federal Space Agency's Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle or the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's H-II Transfer Vehicle since NASA's own Crew Exploration Vehicle may not be ready until 2014. The Russian Federal Space Agency (Russian: Федеральное космическое агентство России) (commonly known as Roskosmos), formerly the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (RKA; in Russian: Российское авиационно-космическое агентство, commonly known as Rosaviakosmos) is the government agency responsible for Russias space science programme and general aerospace research. ... Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft approaching the International Space Station Soyuz (Russian: Союз, pronounced sah-YOUS, meaning union) is a series of spacecraft designed by Sergey Korolyov for the Soviet Unions space program. ... ISS Progress cargo spacecraft The Progress is a Russian expendable unmanned freighter spacecraft; it was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is launched with the Soyuz launch vehicle. ... ESA redirects here. ... ISS ESA Automated Transfer Vehicle (ESA) The Automated Transfer Vehicle or ATV is a European Space Agency spacecraft designed to supply the International Space Station with propellant, water, air, payload experiments and the like. ... The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ), or JAXA, is Japans national aerospace agency. ... H-II Transfer Vehicle (Courtesy of JAXA) The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) is an unmanned spacecraft on which the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA has been working since 1997 to resupply the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the International Space Station, and the rest of the station, if... CEV with lunar lander CEV during a landing on earth CEV rocket, the Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) (right) along side the heavy-lift Cargo Launch Vehicle (CaLV) rocket. ...

On August 18, 2006, NASA announced that Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Rocketplane-Kistler (RpK) are the two winners for Phase I of the COTS program.[10] August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

NASA anticipates that COTS services to ISS will be necessary through at least 2015. The NASA Administrator has suggested that space transportation services procurement may be expanded to orbital fuel depots and lunar surface deliveries should the first phase of COTS prove successful.[11] Adjective lunar Bulk silicate composition (estimated wt%) SiO2 44. ...

Emerging personal spaceflight

Main article: Space tourism

SpaceShipOne has a 5-meter wingspan and a 3-person cabin. (Scaled Composites, LLC)

Before 2004 no privately operated manned spaceflight had ever occurred. The only private individuals to journey to space went as space tourists in the Space Shuttle or on Russian Soyuz launch vehicle flights to Mir or the International Space Station. Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of space travel by individuals for the purpose of personal pleasure. ... Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne (Courtesy of Scaled Composites) This image is not licensed under the GFDL. It is under a non-commercial-use only licence. ... Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne (Courtesy of Scaled Composites) This image is not licensed under the GFDL. It is under a non-commercial-use only licence. ... Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of space travel by individuals for the purpose of personal pleasure. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... Soyuz rocket on launch pad. ... Mir (Мир, which can mean both world and peace in Russian) was a highly successful Soviet (and later Russian) orbital station. ... ISS redirects here. ...

All private individuals who flew to space before Dennis Tito's self-financed International Space Station visit in 2001 had been sponsored by their home governments. Those trips include US Congressman Bill Nelson's January 1986 flight on the Space Shuttle Columbia and Japanese television reporter Toyohiro Akiyama's 1990 flight to the Mir Space Station. Dennis Tito Dennis Tito (born August 8, 1940 in Queens, New York) is a United States multimillionaire who gained celebrity status by becoming the first space tourist to pay for his own ticket. ... Clarence William Bill Nelson (born September 29, 1942) is the senior U.S. Senator from Florida. ... Space Shuttle Columbia (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first spaceworthy space shuttle in NASAs orbital fleet (Enterprise preceded Columbia, but Enterprise was a non-spaceworthy test article intended for later conversion to a flightworthy vehicle). ... Mir (Мир, which can mean both world and peace in Russian) was a highly successful Soviet (and later Russian) orbital station. ...

The Ansari X Prize was intended to stimulate private investment in the development of spaceflight technologies. The June 21, 2004 test flight of SpaceShipOne, a contender for the X Prize, was the first manned spaceflight in a privately developed and operated vehicle. The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... SpaceShipOne is small, having a three-person cabin and short but wide wings. ... Human spaceflight is space exploration with a human crew, and possibly passengers (in contrast to unmanned space missions, which are remotely-controlled or robotic space probes). ...

On 27 September 2004, following the success of SpaceShipOne, Richard Branson, owner of Virgin and Burt Rutan, SpaceShipOne's designer, announced that Virgin Galactic had licensed the craft's technology, and were planning commercial space flights in 2.5 to 3 years. A fleet of five craft is to be constructed, and flights will be offered at around $200,000 each, although Branson has said he plans to use this money to make flights more affordable in the long term. September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950, Shamley Green, Surrey), sometimes abbreviated as SRB for Sir Richard Branson, is an English entrepreneur, best known for his Virgin brand, a banner that encompasses a variety of business organisations. ... Refreshed Corporate logo of the Virgin Group introduced 2006 Usage of these images is restricted. ... Elbert Leander Burt Rutan (born June 17, 1943 in Estacada, Oregon) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. ... Virgin Galactic is a company within Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group, which plans to offer sub-orbital spaceflights and later orbital spaceflights to the paying public. ...

In December 2004, United States President George W. Bush signed in to law the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act [12]. The Act resolved the regulatory ambiguity surrounding private spaceflights and is designed to promote the development of the emerging U.S. commercial human space flight industry. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

On July 12, 2006, Bigelow Aerospace launched the Genesis 1 subscale prototype of an orbital hotel.[13] Bigelow Aerospace plans to have a full-scale orbital hotel by 2015. July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bigelow Aerospace is a Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules. ...

On September 28, 2006, Jim Benson, SpaceDev founder, announced he was founding Benson Space Company with the intention of being first to market with the safest and lowest cost suborbital personal spaceflight launches, using the vertical takeoff and horizontal landing Dream Chaser vehicle based on the NASA HL-20 Personnel Launch System vehicle. September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James Benson is the founding chairman, chief executive, and chief technology officer of SpaceDev, Inc. ... SpaceDev is an innovative publicly traded space development company in the aerospace industry, now most prominent for its spaceflight and microsatellite work. ... The SpaceDev Dream Chaser is a planned crewed suborbital spacecraft being developed by SpaceDev and NASA. The spacecraft was a candidate for NASAs Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, although the Dream Chaser was not selected for the COTS Phase 1 program. ...

Space launch organizations

Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA)

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Commercial space transportation companies

• Arianespace flies Ariane 5
  • EADS Astrium Space Transportation
• International Launch Services
  • RSC Energia flies Proton
  • Lockheed Martin Space System flies Atlas V
• Orbital Sciences Corporation flies Minotaur, Pegasus and Taurus
• SpaceX flies Falcon 1 (in test launch phase)
• Starsem flies Soyuz
• Sea Launch flies Zenit

• See a complete list of launch systems

Founded in 1980, Arianespace SA undertakes the production, operation and marketing of the Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rocket launchers as part of the Ariane programme. ... Ariane 5 mock-up Ariane 5 is a European expendable launch system designed to deliver satellites into geostationary transfer orbit and to send payloads to Low Earth orbit. ... EADS Astrium Space Transportation was formed in June 2003 from the Space Infrastructure division of Astrium (whose core was originally ERNO) and the EADS Launch Vehicles division (formerly Aerospatiales Space division). ... International Launch Services (or ILS)is a partnership between American defense contractor Lockheed Martin, and the Russian firm, Khrunichev, and RSC Energia for the purpose of co-marketing their respective rocket launch services. ... S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (also known as RKK Energiya) is a Russian manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components. ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Lockheed Martin Space Systems is one of the 5 major business divisions of Lockheed Martin. ... It has been suggested that some sections of this article be split into a new article entitled Atlas V launches. ... Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC, though commonly abbreviated as Orbital) is a Dulles, Virginia company which specializes in satellite launch and manufacture. ... The Minotaur Rocket is an American solid fuel rocket designed to launch small satellites. ... Pegasus rocket on the ground Pegasus rocket attached to bottom of carrier aircraft The Pegasus rocket is a winged space booster developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital). ... Taurus is an German/Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by EADS, Saab Bofors Dynamics and used by Germany and Sweden. ... The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is a space-transportation startup company whose stated goal is to improve the cost and reliability of access to space ultimately by a factor of ten. It is based in El Segundo, California. ... Envelope Length 21. ... Starsem is a European-Russian company that was created in 1996 to commercialise the Soyuz launcher. ... Soyuz rocket on launch pad. ... Sea Launch command ship Sea Launch Commander Sea Launch launch platform Ocean Odyssey Sea Launch is a spacecraft launch service, which uses mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on top of specialized Zenit-3SL rockets. ... The Zenit rocket (Ukrainian: Зеніт, Russian: Зени́т; meaning Zenith) is a space launch vehicle manufactured by the Yuzhnoe Design Bureau of Ukraine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Personal spaceflight ventures

• Benson Space Company - Founded by SpaceDev founder Jim Benson
• Virgin Galactic - funded by Richard Branson, technology by Scaled Composites
• Rocketplane Limited, Inc. - funded by George French
• Blue Origin - funded by Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com
• SpaceX - funded by Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal
• Armadillo Aerospace - funded by John Carmack, developer of computer games Doom and Quake
• Space Adventures - flew Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth and Gregory Olsen to the International Space Station
• Sprague Astronautics - privately funded
• Starchaser Industries (United Kingdom) - privately funded
• Challenge and Space Technology Inc a.k.a. C&SPACE (South Korea) - privately funded
• PlanetSpace (Canada) - funded by Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria
• ARCASPACE (Romania) - privately funded
• Interorbital Systems - privately funded
• Masten Space Systems - privately funded

See also: List of private spaceflight companies

SpaceDev is an innovative publicly traded space development company in the aerospace industry, now most prominent for its spaceflight and microsatellite work. ... James Benson is the founding chairman, chief executive, and chief technology officer of SpaceDev, Inc. ... Virgin Galactic is a company within Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group, which plans to offer sub-orbital spaceflights and later orbital spaceflights to the paying public. ... Scaled Composites (often abbreviated as Scaled) was founded in 1982 in Mojave, California by famous aircraft designer Burt Rutan out of what used to be the Rutan Aircraft Factory. ... Rocketplane Limited, Inc. ... Blue Origin is a privately-funded aerospace company initially focused on sub-orbital spaceflight. ... Jeff Bezos on the cover of TIME as Person of the Year 1999 Jeffrey Preston Bezos (born January 12, 1964) is the founder, president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of Amazon. ... Amazon. ... The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is a space-transportation startup company whose stated goal is to improve the cost and reliability of access to space ultimately by a factor of ten. It is based in El Segundo, California. ... Elon Musk Elon Musk (born June 28, 1971) is an Internet, rocket launch, electric car and solar power entrepreneur. ... eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to PayPal) PayPal is an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the internet. ... Armadillo Aerospace is an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. ... John D. Carmack II (born August 20, 1970) is a widely recognized figure in the video game industry. ... Doom (or DOOM)[1] is a 1993 computer game by id Software that is among the landmark titles in the first-person shooter genre. ... Zombies attacking the player. ... Space Adventures, Ltd. ... Dennis Tito Dennis Tito (born August 8, 1940 in Queens, New York) is a United States multimillionaire who gained celebrity status by becoming the first space tourist to pay for his own ticket. ... Mark Shuttleworth arrived at the ISS on April 27, 2002. ... Gregory Hammond Greg Olsen (b. ... ISS redirects here. ... Starchaser Industries is a British company headed by CEO Steve Bennett, working on the development of rockets for commercial space access. ... PlanetSpace is a privately funded rocket and space travel project founded by London, Ontario based entrepreneurs Geoff Sheering, and Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria. ... ARCA logo Asociatia Romana pentru Cosmonautica si Aeronautica (ARCA) or Cosmonautics and Aeronautics Romanian Association is a non-governmental organization that promotes aerospace projects as well as other space-related activities. ... Interorbital Systems Corporation (IOS) is an American aerospace company based out of Mojave, California. ... Masten Space Systems is an aerospace startup company in Santa Clara, California that is developing a line of Vertical Take-Off and Landing(VTOL) spacecraft that will eventually include manned orbital flight. ... A list of private companies offering or planning spaceflight solutions // Ad Astra Rocket Company AERA Corporation ARCA Armadillo Aerospace Beal Aerospace (defunct) Benson Space Company Bigelow Aerospace Blue Origin Canadian Arrow/Planetspace Da Vinci Project Interorbital Systems JP Aerospace Masten Space Systems Rocketplane Scaled Composites/The Spaceship Company Space Adventures...

Government space transportation

• China Satellite Launch and Tracking General flies Long March
• India Space Research Organization flies GSLV, PSLV
• Russian Federal Space Agency
• NASA

The Long March family of rockets (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Chángzhēng xìliè yùnzài huǒjiàn) is an expendable launch system operated by the Peoples Republic of China. ... The GSLV or Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle was developed by India (Indian Space Research Organization) to launch satellites into geostationary orbit. ... PSLV or Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is an expendable launch system operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ... The Russian Federal Space Agency (Russian: Федеральное космическое агентство России) (commonly known as Roskosmos), formerly the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (RKA; in Russian: Российское авиационно-космическое агентство, commonly known as Rosaviakosmos) is the government agency responsible for Russias space science programme and general aerospace research. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ...

Non-profit teams

• Civilian Space eXploration Team launched the GoFast Rocket on a suborbital flight, the first amateur space flight on May 17, 2004.

May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Failed spaceflight ventures

Lockheed Martin VentureStar (NASA)

In the 1990s the projection of a significant demand for communications satellite launches attracted the development of a number of commercial space launch providers. The launch demand largely vanished when some of the largest satellite constellations, such as 288 satellite Teledesic network, were never built. The historic tendency of NASA to compete against the private sector and the Department of Defense's preference for the traditional military industrial complex has discouraged many new space launch ventures. Image:X-33 Venture Star. ... Image:X-33 Venture Star. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. ... Teledesic was a 1990s proposal to build a commercial broadband satellite constellation for Internet services. ...

VentureStar

In 1996 NASA selected Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to build the X-33 VentureStar prototype for a single stage to orbit (SSTO) reusable launch vehicle. In 1999, the subscale X-33 prototype's composite liquid hydrogen fuel tank failed during testing. At project termination on March 31, 2001, NASA had funded $912 million of this wedge shaped spacecraft while Lockheed Martin financed $357 million of it[14]. The VentureStar was to have been a full-scale commercial space transport operated by Lockheed Martin. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... A modern Skunk works project leverages an older: LASRE and SR-71 Blackbird. ... VentureStar VentureStar was Lockheed-Martins proposed design for a SSTO RLV. The programs primary goal was to develop a reusable unmanned space plane for launching satellites into orbit at about 1/10 the cost of other systems that would completely replace the space shuttle. ... A single-stage to orbit (or SSTO) launcher describes an as-yet theoretical class of spacecraft designed to place a load into orbit as a self-contained vehicle without the use of multiple stages. ... A reusable launch system (or RLV: reusable launch vehicle) is a launch vehicle which is capable of launching into space more than once. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2001. ... VentureStar VentureStar was Lockheed-Martins proposed design for a SSTO RLV. The programs primary goal was to develop a reusable unmanned space plane for launching satellites into orbit at about 1/10 the cost of other systems that would completely replace the space shuttle. ...

Beal Aerospace

In 1997 Beal Aerospace proposed the BA-2, a low-cost heavy-lift commercial launch vehicle. In March 4, 2000, the BA-2 project tested the largest liquid rocket engine built since the Saturn V [15]. In October 2000, Beal Aerospace ceased operations citing a decision by NASA and the Department of Defense to commit themselves to the development of the competing government-financed EELV program. Beal Aerospace was founded by Andrew Beal, president of Beal Bank in Dallas, Texas. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... This article is about the year 2000. ... A liquid rocket engine has fuel and oxidizer in liquid form, as opposed to a solid rocket or hybrid rocket or gaseous propellant. ... This article is about the rocket. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ... The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program was a United States government, primarily a Department of Defense–sponsored effort to develop at least one family of space launch vehicles, that would meet the long term needs of the military. ...

Rotary Rocket

In 1998 Rotary Rocket proposed the Roton, a Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) piloted Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) space transport [16]. A full scale Roton Atmospheric Test Vehicle flew three times in 1999. After spending tens of millions of dollars in development the Roton failed to secure launch contracts and Rotary Rocket ceased operations in 2001. The Roton was a launch vehicle design for a cone-shaped single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) fully reusable manned spacecraft. ... A single-stage to orbit (or SSTO) launcher describes an as-yet theoretical class of spacecraft designed to place a load into orbit as a self-contained vehicle without the use of multiple stages. ... Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) describes airplanes that can lift off vertically. ...

Future plans

Many have speculated on where private spaceflight may go in the near future. One possibility is for paid suborbital tourism on craft like SpaceShipOne. Additionally, suborbital spacecraft have applications for faster intercontinental package delivery and passenger flight. SpaceShipOne is small, having a three-person cabin and short but wide wings. ...

Private orbital spaceflight, space stations

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled to be first launched in mid 2007, is designed to be man-rated. This would be the first American orbital vehicle since the Space Shuttle to receive this designation, in principle allowing the vehicle to transport paying customers to orbit. Plans and a full-scale prototype for the SpaceX Dragon, a manned capsule carrying up to 7 passengers, were announced on March 6, 2006.[17] The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is a space-transportation startup company whose stated goal is to improve the cost and reliability of access to space ultimately by a factor of ten. It is based in El Segundo, California. ... The Falcon 9 is an EELV class launch vehicle to be built by SpaceX. Three variants are proposed and, if built, will provide payloads of between 8,700 kg and 24,750 kg to low Earth orbit, and between 3,100 kg and 9,650 kg to Geostationary transfer orbit. ... Man-rating or Man-rated is a term used to describe the certification of a rocket or airplane as worthy of transporting humans. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... The SpaceX Dragon is a conventional blunt-cone ballistic capsule spacecraft, capable of carrying 7 people or a mixture of personnel and cargo, to and from low Earth orbit. ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The first flight of the Falcon 9 is planned to carry the Genesis Pathfinder, a prototype inflatable space station module (based on the formerly NASA-owned Transhab design) constructed by Bigelow Aerospace. Bigelow Aerospace expects such modules to be used for activities like microgravity research, space manufacturing, and space tourism (with modules serving as orbital hotels). To promote private manned launch efforts, Bigelow has offered the $50M America's Space Prize for the first US-based privately funded team to launch a manned reusable spacecraft to orbit on or before January 10, 2010. Genesis-1, is the first experimental space habitat designed and built by the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace as the first of six to ten test spacecraft. ... A cut away view of a Transhab concept. ... Bigelow Aerospace is a Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules. ... The Americas Space Prize Logo Americas Space Prize is a US$50 million orbital spaceflight competition established and funded by hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the film, see 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ...

Asteroid mining

Asteroid mining spacecraft (NASA)

Some have speculated on the possibilities of mining asteroids to extract metals for profit. According to some estimates, a one kilometer-diameter asteroid would contain 30 million tons of nickel, 1.5 million tons of metal cobalt and 7,500 tons of platinum; the platinum alone would have a value of more than $150 billion at current prices. [18] While the potential rewards from asteroid mining are indeed huge, the technical challenges are equally large and it seems likely that the private sector will wait for the publicly funded space programme to solve them (e.g. by establishing experimental mines on the Moon). Image File history File links Asteroidmining. ... Image File history File links Asteroidmining. ...

Energy from space

Future energy development may use energy sources in space and on other planets. Examples include Helium-3 extraction from the Moon, and solar power satellite systems. See space manufacturing for more on extraterrestrial economic development. Future energy development faces great challenges due to an increasing world population, demands for higher standards of living, demands for less pollution and a much-discussed end to fossil fuels. ... Helium-3 is a non-radioactive and light isotope of helium. ... A solar power satellite, or SPS, is a proposed satellite built in high Earth orbit that uses microwave power transmission to beam solar power to a very large antenna on Earth where it can be used in place of conventional power sources. ... Space manufacturing is the production of manufactured goods in an environment outside a planetary atmosphere. ... Economic development is the development of the economic wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants. ...

Space Elevators

A Space Elevator system is a possible launch system, currently under investigation by at least one private venture[19]. There are concerns over cost, general feasibility and some political issues. On the plus side the potential to scale the system to accommodate traffic would (in theory) be greater than some other alternatives. Some factions contend that a space elevator - if successful - would not supplant existing launch solutions but complement them. A space elevator would consist of a cable anchored to the Earths surface, reaching into space. ...

References

• Harvey, Brian (2001). Russia in Space: The Failed Frontier. Springer Praxis. ISBN 1-85233-203-4.
• Lewis, John (1997). Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets. Perseus Books Group. ISBN 0-201-32819-4.
• Heppenheimer, T. A. (1997). Countdown: A History of Space Flight. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-14439-8.

External links

• Climbing a Commercial Stairway to Space: A Plausible Timeline RLV News, February 2, 2006

See also

• Heinlein Prize for Advances in Space Commercialization

The Heinlein Prize for Advances in Space Commercialization, generally known as the Heinlein Prize, was founded in 1988 to reward individuals who make practical contributions to the commercialization of space. ...

Government

• Commercial Space Transportation Developments and Concepts Reports FAA AST, Annual Report
• Economic Impact of Commercial Space Transportation on the U.S. Economy FAA AST, 2006
• Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Emerging Markets FAA AST, February 2005
• Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Applicable Markets DOC OSC, 2002

Corporate Ventures

• Race2Space.org - Advancing the Privatization of Space Travel July 2006, Race2Space, in partnership with the X Prize foundation, is seeking sponsorship in order to support the privatization of space travel, research, and exploration for the upcoming Lunar Landing Challenge Contestants October 2006."
• X Prize Foundation
• C&SPACE
• Starchaser Industries
• XCOR Aerospace reusable rocket engine developer, FAA licensed for experimental suborbital flight
• Masten Space Systems reusable suborbital vehicle developer
• Commercial Space Companies Space Frontier Foundation
• Personal Spaceflight Venture Viability MBA Course Syllabus
• Virgin Galacticspace flights
• Benson Space Company suborbital spaceflights
• [20] Blue Origin

Media Coverage

• Private space industry looks for liftoff Christian Science Monitor
• Private space race, public hurdles MSNBC
• A Word from the Know-Nothing Bureaucrats NASA union viewpoint on private spaceflight
• Private Industry Can Help NASA Open the Space Frontier Space Frontier Foundation, February 14, 2005