The flight will also include a yet-to-be-named passenger who paid $28m for their trip in an auction last month.Ī spat has erupted over whether Branson’s flight really counts as going into space. New Shepard will take Bezos and five others, including his brother, Mark, and pilot Wally Funk, who was denied the job of astronaut in the 1960s because she was a woman, roughly 62 miles above the Earth’s surface. In nine days’ time Bezos makes his long-awaited debut launch into space on his rocket, New Shepard – named for Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space – manufactured by Bezos’s company Blue Origin. He is flying with two pilots and three other passengers, and a live broadcast of the flight is being hosted from terra firma by comedian Stephen Colbert. They serve as a reminder of how the entrepreneurial vision, responsibly partnering with government, can spark momentous technological change.British billionaire Richard Branson waves as he arrives at Spaceport America on 11 July Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Imagesīranson, 70, arrived at the spaceport on a bicycle on Sunday morning and greeting his crewmates with a hug. These entrepreneurial advances are favorably impacting America’s role in the new space race. It is in this context that individual entrepreneurs, motivated by a combination of commercial, scientific and societal goals, are making an enormous and perhaps understated contribution to the achievement of the country’s space exploration goals. The United States’ effort is limited financially, politically and competitively-with new entrants from around the globe. No longer are the United States and Russia the sole competitors, operating with strong national commitment and unlimited budgets. The various missions of summer 2023 project a second-generation space race that is much different from its original iteration in the 1960s. His expansive vision, and his willingness to invest in that vision, helps to motivate efforts of NASA and other governmental agencies to achieve their own longstanding goals for space exploration. The SpaceX production experience produces cost savings and manufacturing experiences and cost savings that make it an excellent partner for government. The company’s ambitions are further demonstrated by its nascent Starship rocket program for satellite launches, human missions and trips to Mars. SpaceX is a significant contractor for NASA’s Artemis program. As a consequence, NASA is widely thought to be dependent on SpaceX to fly its astronauts to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX, with its bold goal of making life interplanetary, is viewed as the “dominant” force in the manufacturing of rocket launching systems. Musk, and his SpaceX firm, that has made the greatest impact by a private company on the American role in space exploration. Its first, successful mission with tourists occurred in August.īut in many ways it has been Mr. Using the United States as a base, it has focused on the space tourism sector, with the goal of offering regular trips to customers on its winged space plane. Branson’s Virgin Galactic has concentrated on broadening access to human spaceflight, which of course has long been the sole province of state-run space agencies. Regardless of their focus, one thing is certain: the innovations and breakthroughs made by these companies will shape the future of space exploration for generations to come. SpaceX is focused on advancing space technology, Virgin Galactic on space tourism, and Blue Origin on sustainable space development. While all three companies share a desire to explore and conquer space, their approaches and goals differ significantly. Perhaps more significantly, Blue Origin leads a partnership that was earlier this year selected by NASA to develop the moon lander for NASA’s Artemis program. It has also developed a Florida launchpad designed to facilitate the launching of these new rockets. The Blue Origin engine division produces components for its fleet of New Glenn orbital rockets. providing transport to low-Earth orbit and beyond. Musk’s Space X are making such an enormous contribution.įor example, Bezos’ space goals are focused on sustainable space development e.g. And this is where the entrepreneurial efforts of Mr. The combined efforts of these new space entrants pose a significant threat to America’s historical leadership in space exploration, which has been limited by budgetary conflicts, differing priorities and changing administrations.
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