Private spaceflight
As a private space projects are referred to in space, which are carried out by non-governmental organizations. Within the space of the space is defined as a region at an altitude of 100 km above the earth's surface. Private space companies currently offer satellite launches and transportation to the International Space Station in orbit at, as well as " space tourism " with suborbital flights.
- 3.1 commercial launch companies
- 3.2 Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
- 3.3 Increasing passenger in space
History
In the early decades of space flight, the U.S. and Russian governments were responsible, while they cooperated with private companies. Later, large enterprises of military technology began to devote himself to the development and operation of power systems and commercial satellite, which were derived from missiles and other military applications.
Since the turn of the millennium entrepreneurs begin to develop suborbital aircraft and operate. Planned private enterprises outside the perigee also include solar sail prototype, space burials and passenger flights to the moon. A prototype of an inflatable living module is already in an Earth orbit, larger versions are to follow.
History of commercial space transportation
During the early years of spaceflight only states had to build the resources to develop spacecraft and operate. Both the U.S. and the Soviet space used military pilots as astronauts or cosmonauts. At this stage no space launches were available for commercial companies, and not a private organization was able to provide, space launches. Later, private organizations were able to book both space launches, to buy and also carry out themselves. This was the beginning of private space travel.
The first phase of private space companies was the launch of the first commercial communications satellite. A U.S. Act of 1962 opened the way for commercial consortia to have satellite privately owned and operated, although they were then transported into space nor by government rockets.
European companies
On March 26, 1980, the French space agency Centre National d'Etudes spatiales (abbr. CNES ) created with the participation of the companies that produce the Ariane launchers, Arianespace, the world's first commercial space companies. Arianespace buys and sells the family of Ariane rockets. Only the development of rockets still takes place on behalf of the European Space Agency under the leadership of CNES. 1995 scored her 100th Arianespace satellite into orbit, and in 1997, Arianespace had her 100th rocket launch. The 24 shareholder of Arianespace are scientific, technical, financial and political activist shareholders from ten different European countries. Any commercial rocket Ariane 5 is subsidized with 30 million euros.
American deregulation
Since the beginning of the Space Shuttle program to the Challenger disaster in 1986 it was the policy of the United States that NASA should be the public market supplier for space launch capabilities. Initially supported the NASA satellite launches with the intent to promote the shuttle service on a long term basis ( " marginal cost ").
On October 30, 1984, the U.S. President Ronald Reagan the "Commercial Space Launch Act" signed. This law eased the existing space monopoly and allowed the American industry, rockets and launch sites to operate without having to rely on NASA.
On November 5, 1990 President George HW Bush signed the " Launch Services Purchase Act " (Act for the purchase of space launches ). The law had, quite contrary to earlier approaches, NASA to offer launch services for commercial companies, as soon as a demand was hereafter.
In 1997, conducted by the launch sites in Florida for the first time as the commercial state rocket launches.
Russian privatization
The Russian government sold 1994 a share of the RKK Energia to private investors. Energia and Khrunichev GKNPZ make since the main part of the Russian manned space flight. In 1997, the Russian Government sold so many shares that she lost the entrepreneurial management.
American competitor
1996 selected the U.S. government, Lockheed Martin and Boeing that every company called " Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles" ( EELV, advanced disposable launch vehicles) developed in order for startup tasks to compete and to secure access to create the space. The acquisition strategy of the government relied on a strong belief that both companies would be able to develop ways to lower unit costs. This assumption was not accepted by the market, but both systems, the Delta IV and Atlas V EELV systems remained in active service.
Start alliances
Since 1995, International Launch Services Proton rocket markets the Russian manufacturer GKNPZ Khrunichev, while the Soyuz rocket is marketed via Starsem. Energia builds the Soyuz rocket and owns the majority stake in the Sea Launch project, which operates the Ukrainian Zenit rocket.
Formed in 2003, Arianespace, Boeing Launch Services and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Launch Services Alliance. Due to the constant weak demand for EELV launches Lockheed Martin and Boeing, founded in 2005, the joint venture United Launch Alliance to operate the launch services for the U.S. government.
Nowadays offer many commercial transport companies to around the world launch services to space for private and official government satellites purposes. In 2005 there were a total of 18 commercial companies and 37 non-commercial options.
Private space travel companies
Commercial launch companies
The space transport business serves first and foremost national governments and large commercial enterprise segments. The launches for government flights, including military, scientific, and civilian satellites are the largest market segment with approximately 100 billion U.S. dollars per year. This segment is dominated by U.S. companies, such as the United Launch Alliance for U.S. government activities and Arianespace for European satellites. The commercial segment with less than 3 billion U.S. dollars per year by Arianespace dominates with over 50 % market share, followed by Russian companies.
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
On 18 January 2006, NASA announced an opportunity for commercial enterprises to make orbital ( orbit -related ) Transportation. NASA planned to more than 500 million U.S. dollars by 2010 to invest in order to operate the transport to the International Space Station ISS. This was so far more of a challenge, since precision and rendezvous capability was required with another spacecraft.
On 18 August 2006, NASA announced that the company SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler are the two winners of Phase I of the COTS program.
The successful premiere for the company SpaceX there was on May 22, 2012: As part of the mission, which lasted until May 31, the first flight of the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS took place. The ship transported 520 kg cargo to the ISS and ended up with more than 600 kg of unneeded equipment back on Earth.
Increasing passenger in space
Prior to 2004, there was no private manned space flight. The only individuals who were as space tourist to space travel, were flown on space shuttle flights or with the Russian Soyuz rocket to the space station Mir or the ISS.
All individuals who flew into space ahead of Dennis Tito, had been supported by their national governments, such as the U.S. Congressman Bill Nelson, who flew on the space shuttle Columbia in January 1986, and the Japanese television reporter Toyohiro Akiyama, the 1990 Space Station I flew.
The Ansari X Prize was instituted to encourage private investment in the development of space technologies. On 21 June 2004, the test flight of SpaceShipOne took place, a competitor to the X-Prize. This was the first manned space flight in a privately developed and operated the spacecraft.
Following in the footsteps of the event announced on 27 September 2004 to Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin and Burt Rutan, developer of SpaceShipOne, Virgin Galactic that has licensed the technology and will use within the next 2.5 to 3 years old. A fleet of five vehicles will be constructed, and there are flights are offered at a price of U.S. $ 200,000, although Branson said that he plans to use his money to the development of cheaper flights.
In December 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush signed a law on commercial space launches. The Act replaced the double-edged nature to regulate private space flights and is intended to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial space flight industry.
On 12 July 2006 Bigelow Aerospace launched Genesis 1, a kleinmaßstäbliches test model of an orbital, deployable space station. Genesis 2 was launched on 28 June 2007, and there are plans for further prototypes in preparation for the deployable Space Station BA 330
On 28 September 2006 announced Jim Benson, founder of SpaceDev, that he had founded the Benson Space Company to offer with the intention of the first and cheapest suborbital space plane. This is to use as a basis the so-called Dream Chaser, a vertical take-off and horizontal landing system, which is based on the NASA HL- 20.
Failed attempts to private space travel
In the 1990s, the idea of a significant demand for communications satellites attracted a number of missile manufacturers. This demand disappeared far part, as for example the 288 satellites of the Teledesic network were never built. The historically demonstrable tendency of NASA, to compete with private investors, many new companies discouraged to rocket launches.