Young addresses the impressive expansion across existing and developing
commercial space business markets, with multiple private companies
competing in the payload launch services sector. The author pinpoints
the new markets, technologies, and players in the industry, as well as
highlighting the overall reasons why it is important for us to develop
space. NASA now relies on commercial partners to supply cargo and crew
spacecraft and services to and from the International Space Station. The
sizes of satellites are diminishing and their capabilities expanding,
while costs to orbit are decreasing. Suborbital space tourism holds the
potential of new industries and jobs. Commercial space exploration of
the Moon and the planets also holds promise. All this activity is a
catalyst for anyone interested in joining the developing space industry,
from students and researchers to engineers and entrepreneurs. As more
and more satellites and rockets are launched and the business of space
is expanding at a significant pace, it is increasingly important for
scientists and engineers of many disciplines to understand how the
business evolved and where it is continuing to develop. The growing
field is fully explored in this concise overview to the players in this
changing landscape.