How can commercial space activities, beyond those that already exist, be profitable in light of the huge cost of launching payloads into space?
There are two answers to this one. Answer #1: Government space programs have a poor track record in providing space transport at reasonable prices. In fact, the average cost of launching payloads into orbit hasn’t dropped in nearly two decades. Even the partially reusable Space Shuttle, requiring thousands of skilled workers for refurbishment after each flight, has not improved the economics of space transportation. Virtually all other launch systems are entirely disposable after a single use. At transport costs of up to $10,000 per pound, the current range of commercial space activities is severely constrained. This is not surprising. Imagine how much it would cost to fly to Paris if your airliner had to be thrown away after a single flight. In the past few years, a significant number of startup companies have appeared on the scene to attempt to drastically reduce the cost of launching equipment into space by introducing new technologies and new design philosophies. One of our primary
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