Can the U.S. learn from the Europeans on private space flight?
Europe is not generally known for encouraging its private sector. When it comes to space efforts, however, private companies there are ballooning far beyond their sparse federal investors. “We are forced to go to the commercial market for satellite launches due to the low institutional funding,” said Francois Auque, the CEO of Astrium, which is owned by the powerhouse European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). Auque pointed out that when it comes to switching from solely space-based business to services, having little government money makes his company consider business models that bring space to customers: “Commercial services are the engine of Astrium in terms of growth.” Virgin Galactic has already been watching its back with the EADS suborbital space plane (pictured above), set to make its first flight by 2012. But now there’s cash across the pond. “We have invested substantial money into this project,” Auque said without citing exact figures. “The problem is that we nee
