Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Commercial Space Race

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Politics and Perils of Space Exploration

Part of the book series: Springer Praxis Books ((SPACEE))

Abstract

This chapter discusses the new and exciting era of commercial space programs. The status of the American space program and where it is headed in the future is explained in terms of how it interacts with industry to accomplish common goals. Commercial endeavors are discussed with a spotlight on some of the most influential private companies with space agendas and including a few of the visionaries who founded them. The influence of the XPrize and other space prizes are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    David, Leonard. Private spacecraft blast offs June 21. 02 June 2001. [Internet] [cited 2016 Apr 26]. Available from: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/06/02/private.space/

  2. 2.

    Lee, Rhodi. SpaceX milestones: how Elon Musk brought a company to the forefront of spaceflight. Tech Times. 26 May 2015.

  3. 3.

    Lee, Rhodi. SpaceX milestones: how Elon Musk brought a company to the forefront of spaceflight. Tech Times. 26 May 2015.

  4. 4.

    Wall, Mike. Wow! SpaceX lands orbital rocket successfully in historic first. 21 Dec 2015. [Internet] [cited 2016 Jan 21]. Available from: http://www.space.com/31420-spacex-rocket-landing-success.html

  5. 5.

    SpaceX conducts return-to-flight launch, rocket lands on ground. Cihan News Agency. 22 Dec 2015.

  6. 6.

    Davenport, Christian. Explostions cited in space launch fight. The Washington Post. 22 Sept 2016.

  7. 7.

    Sierra Nevada Corporation Release: NASA selects Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser spacecraft for commercial resupply services 2 contract. 14 Jan 2016. [Internet] [cited 2016 Jan 21]. Available from: http://www.sncorp.com/AboutUs/NewsDetails/2754

  8. 8.

    Sierra Nevada Corporation Release: NASA selects Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser spacecraft for commercial resupply services 2 contract. 14 Jan 2016. [Internet] [cited 2016 Jan 21]. Available from: http://www.sncorp.com/AboutUs/NewsDetails/2754

  9. 9.

    Federal Aviation Administration. 2011 U.S. Commercial Space Transportation Developments and Concepts: Vehicles, Technologies, and Spaceports.

  10. 10.

    Progressive Media—Company News. NASA’s CCiCap programme completes first milestone. 27 Aug 2012.

  11. 11.

    Nasa.gov. Commercial crew program—the essentials. [Internet] NASA.gov; [cited 2016 Mar 23]. Available from:

    https://www.nasa.gov/content/commercial-crew-program-the-essentials/#.VvMWQuIrK70

  12. 12.

    Anderson, Chris. Nov 2013. Rethinking public-private space travel. Space Policy. 29:4:266–271.

  13. 13.

    Clark, Stephen. NASA selects winners of first commercial crew contest. Spaceflight Now. 02 Feb 2010.

  14. 14.

    Keeney L. 2014 was the year of Colorado space exploration. Denver Post. 28 Dec 2014.

  15. 15.

    PR Newswire. Boeing selected for 2nd round of NASA commercial crew development. 18 Apr 2011.

  16. 16.

    Clark, Stephen. NASA selects winners of first commercial crew contest. Spaceflight Now. 02 Feb 2010.

  17. 17.

    Chang, Kenneth. NASA awards $269 million for private projects: [national desk]. The New York Times. 19 Apr 2011: A.13.

  18. 18.

    Science committee democrats congratulate Boeing and SpaceX on NASA’s commercial crew development awards. Targeted News Service. 16 Sep 2014.

  19. 19.

    Clark, Stephen. Commercial crew spaceships face likely delays. Spaceflight Now. 10 June 2015.

  20. 20.

    Grush, Loren. Congress wants to give NASA $19.3 billion next year, even more than Obama asked for. The Verge. 16 Dec 2015. [Internet] [cited 2016 Jan 21]. Available from: http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/16/10289030/nasa-budget-increase-2016-congress-funding

  21. 21.

    NASA.gov. NASA ordersSpaceX crew mission to international space station. [Internet] NASA.gov Release 15-240; Dec. 18, 2015 [Internet] NASA.gov Release 15-240; Dec. 18, 2015 [cited 2016 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-orders-spacex-crew-mission-to-international-space-station

  22. 22.

    NASA.gov. NASA orders second Boeing crew mission to international space station. [Internet] NASA.gov Release 15-240; Dec. 18, 2015 [cited 2016 Mar 21]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-orders-second-boeing-crew-mission-to-international-space-station

  23. 23.

    NASA.gov. NASA orders second Boeing crew mission to international space station. [Internet] NASA.gov Release 15-240; Dec. 18, 2015 [cited 2016 Mar 21]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-orders-second-boeing-crew-mission-to-international-space-station

  24. 24.

    Gebhardt, Chris and Bergin, Chris. NASA awards CRS2 contracts to SpaceX, Orbital ATK, and Sierra Nevada. Nasaspaceflight.com [Internet] Jan. 14, 2016 [cited 2016 Mar 21]. Available from: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/01/nasa-awards-crs2-spacex-orbital-atk-sierra-nevada/

  25. 25.

    NASA.gov. NASA selects astronauts for first U.S. commercial spaceflights. [Internet] NASA.gov Release 15-148; Jul. 9, 2015 [cited 2016 Mar 21]. Available from:

    http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-astronauts-for-first-us-commercial-spaceflights-0

  26. 26.

    NASA picks four astronauts to fly first commercial space mission. Shanghai Daily. 2015 Jul 10.

  27. 27.

    Shivapriya, N. All for a good cause XPRIZE can help solve big problems: Peter Diamandis. Economic Times (E-paper edition). 12 Dec 2014.

  28. 28.

    Hudgins, Edward. Signals from SpaceShipOne. Washington Times. 06 Oct 2004. A14.

  29. 29.

    Harwell, Drew & Brenner, Glenn. Spacecraft crash shows test-pilot dangers. The Washington Post. 06 Nov 2014. A20.

  30. 30.

    Yeld J. 26 teams in race to reach moon first and strike it rich. The Argus. 2011 Oct 05; Sect. 4.

  31. 31.

    Clark, Stephen. Dragon arrives at space station with inflatable habitat in tow. 10 Apr 2016. [Internet] [cited 2016 Jun 26]. Available from: https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/04/10/dragon-arrives-at-space-station-with-inflatable-habitat-in-tow/

  32. 32.

    Maynard, James. Bigelow Aerospace to usher in future of ISS with expandable space station. Tech Times. 13 March 2015.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma, WA, USA

    Linda Dawson

Authors
  1. Linda Dawson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Dawson, L. (2017). The Commercial Space Race. In: The Politics and Perils of Space Exploration. Springer Praxis Books(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38813-7_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation