The successful launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket into orbit last week once again pushed the private space race back into the spotlight. While the Falcon 9 is slated to begin carrying cargo to the International Space Station, it is also designed so that it could one day carry human passengers as well. With the Falcon 9 making it to orbit on the first try, it undoubtedly gave a boost to the private space industry.
There are several companies currently developing a wide range of space products that could one day fill in for what has so far been left to a few big nations. From the delivery of payloads to orbit and lunar landers, to space hotels and sub-orbital tourist rides, the private space race spans a wide range of opportunities.
Elon Musk's SpaceX is currently focused on delivering payloads to low Earth orbit. That's the place where the International Space Station hangs out and where the space shuttle has served as a giant delivery truck for nearly 30 years. SpaceX currently has a contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the ISS. With the Obama administration's recent announcement to shift more of the astronaut and cargo transportation duties to the private sector, the door is open for companies developing vehicles capable of delivering a payload to orbit. But NASA isn't the only customer.
Bigelow Aerospace, founded by Robert Bigelow who made his fortune in real estate, plans on opening up new real estate in orbit. He expects his inflatable space stations to be ready for action later this decade and of course since Bigelow is building the place to go, he'll need a way of transporting people to his marshmallow-looking habitats.
Bigelow has long stated he plans to provide a less expensive option to have a presence in orbit for scientists or nations wanting to conduct research in space. Perhaps it should be no surprise that he is the man behind the Budget Suites of America hotel chain. Bigelow told The New York Times one of his six-person space stations would cost $395 million for a year, less than a single shuttle launch, and that includes a dozen trips during that time.
SpaceX believes it will be able to deliver passengers to orbit for $20 million a seat, a fraction of the roughly $50 million NASA will be paying Russia for taxi services in the immediate future. This kind of transportation would be key for a program like the one Bigelow is proposing. And though he has never promoted it as his main motivation, the modules could be used as a space hotel as well.
At the cheaper end of the space travel spectrum, there are a few main players in the sub-orbital domain that still have plans for space tourism in the near future. The obvious leader is Virgin Galactic.
After three successful space flights in 2004 with SpaceShipOne, Burt Rutan has teamed up with Sir Richard Branson to build SpaceShipTwo. The larger, six passenger spacecraft has made a few captive flights in recent months still attached to its mother ship, Eve. Flight testing continues and the first glide flights of SpaceShipTwo are expected some time this year.
Virgin Galactic has admitted to some delays, but says they expect to start giving rides from their yet-to-be-completed space port in New Mexico some time in 2012.
XCOR is another company with plans for sub-orbital rides. The company uses a bit simpler of a system with a smaller rocket-powered airplane with just room for a pilot and passenger. Last year XCOR announced a partnership with a South Korean group to provide sub-orbital flights for a space tourism center in the country.
In a shift of space travel direction, last month the company announced it is partnering with fellow Mojave, California, company Masten Space Systems to develop an unmanned lander for the moon, mars and beyond. The two companies will partner for an anticipated NASA contract to develop the next generation of landers. Masten won the lunar lander challenge last year with its Xoie lander.
The company that took second place in the lunar lander challenge was Armadillo Aerospace. The company founded by Doom programmer John Carmack recently took over development of the rocket planes being developed for the Rocket Racing League. Yes, the same planes that were originally developed by XCOR. It's sounds like a bit like a soap opera.
Meanwhile, in addition to the rocket planes, Armadillo recently announced it has partnered with Space Adventures to provide sub-orbital tourist flights. Space Adventures is a big player in the space tourism business and has brokered the deals that has resulted in several tourists in orbit, including time aboard the ISS for people like Charles Simonyi and Anousheh Ansari.
Armadillo and Space Adventures say they will be providing sub-orbital rides for a mere $102,000. That's roughly half what passengers on SpaceShipTwo will initially be paying. Though unlike Virgin Galactic, there is no word yet on a time frame for first flights, or even an idea of what type of vehicle will be used.
Photo of Falcon 9: SpaceX
