The Commercial Space Industry

Today’s topic will discuss the Commercial Space Industry, examining some of the background of “space tourism”, the rules and regulations, and where it is headed as an industry.

Background of “Space Tourism”:

The idea of civilian space travel is not a new concept. Indeed, in the late 1960s “Pan Am airlines announced plans for commercial flights to the moon” (“Pan Am and the waiting list”, n.d.). Customers were placed on a waiting list and “the ‘First Moon Flights’ Club was born – attracting more than 93,000 members over the next two decades” (“Pan Am and the waiting list”, n.d.). These dreams were a bit ahead of their time however, and, as of November 2015, “only 551 people have ever journeyed to space”, only seven of which were private citizens (Blum, 2015). These select individuals are said to have spent between 20 to 40 million for the experience, which included “a 10-day vacation in zero gravity at the International Space Station” (Blum, 2015). Prices such as these make the experience rather unobtainable for just about everyone; however, more recent efforts by companies such as Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic hope to make the experience somewhat more accessible, with the latter currently costing about $250,000 (“Fly with us”, n.d.).

Rules and Regulations Regarding Commercial Space

The Commercial Space is currently under the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act which was passed on November 10^th, 2015. This act prevents the FAA “from issuing standards for commercial spacecraft, as it does for the commercial airline industry, until 2023 at the earliest” (Grush, 2015). This rule gives the companies conducting these space flights time to learn, without being immediately shutdown if an accident occurs. However, this “also means that people participating in private spaceflight do so at their own risks, and there are no government regulations in place specifically to keep them safe” (Grush, 2015). I think that this learning period provided by the act is a good thing, as it gives the industry better opportunities to learn and grow. The industry is also not totally without rules, as “the FAA still has some authority to regulate the commercial sector”, and their “main concern is to ensure that launch vehicles aren’t immediate threats to the uninvolved public and property” (Grush, 2015). Those involved in the flight are not forced to do so, and “must sign a document that says spaceflight is inherently dangerous and they understand the risks associated with it” (Grush, 2015). Another thing to consider, is if the FAA heavily regulated commercial space travel, it’s quite possible many of these start-up companies would just move overseas where the regulations were less demanding.

Where is Space Tourism Headed, and in what Time Frame?

As technology increases, space tourism will continue to become more and more accessible. We have already seen the price for such an endeavor drop from 20 million down to 250 thousand. As for a timeframe for “when” this will happen, that’s a little harder to pinpoint. The industry is still learning and experimenting, and where I could maybe see one or two passenger carrying flights happening within the next 8 years or so, I would not expect to see “regular” flights happening for at least another 10 years, probably more.
As for the nature of these flights, I think it will depend how “affordable” these flights eventually become. In the beginning, I feel that it will mostly be a onetime experience, with people paying high prices for the chance to say “I’ve been in space”. As the industry develops, I could see people going for repeat trips, treating it as a really expensive luxury vacation – just think really expensive cruise, but in space! Companies like Bigelow Aerospace certainly believe this is a possibility, and are currently developing space hotels, having “already launched two test vehicles” (Bastek, 2015). So, if it does happen, at least your stay will be a comfortable one.

What are the Qualifications to Work in the Industry?

There are a lot of positions available in the industry. SpaceX has openings ranging from avionics test engineers (which requires at least a B.S. degree in electrical engineering or other related technical field, and 1 year of experience in Electronics Test Engineering developing test architectures) to college and university internships and co-ops (“Open Positions”, n.d.). As for the pilots, they have a few more essential requirements. Virgin Galactic, when looking for pilots for their SpaceShipTwo rocket plane in 2011, posted these requirements:

• U.S. citizenship (to satisfy export regulations).
• A current FAA commercial (or equivalent) pilot license and FAA medical clearance.
• Degree-level qualification in a relevant technical field.
• Graduate of a recognized test pilot school, with at least two and a half years of postgraduate flight test experience.
• Diverse flying background with a minimum of 3,000 hours flying, to include considerable experience of large multi-engine aircraft and high-performance fast jet aircraft and low lift-to-drag experience in complex aircraft.
• Operational experience in an aerospace aviation project or business.
• Preference given to those with experience in spaceflight, commercial flight operations or flight instruction (“Dozens apply for space pilot jobs”, 2011).

Well, I qualify for the first point, but that’s about it.

References:

Bastek, T. (2015, June 01). Update: What Is the Going Rate and Timeline for Space Tourism?
            Retrieved from http://www.travelpulse.com/news/features/update-what-is-the-going-rate-
            and-timeline-for-space-tourism.html

Blum, S. (2015, November 25). A Brief History of Space Tourism. Retrieved from
            https://www.inverse.com/article/8528-the-space-tourism-timeline

Dozens apply for space pilot jobs. (2011, April 13). Retrieved from
            http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/04/13/6466987-dozens-apply-for-space-pilot-
            jobs

Fly with Us. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.virgingalactic.com/human-spaceflight/
            fly-with-us/

Grush, L. (2015, November 16). Private space companies avoid FAA oversight again, with
            Congress' blessing. Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/16/9744298/private-

            space-government-regulation-spacex-asteroid-mining

Open Positions | SpaceX. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.spacex.com/careers/list

Pan Am and the waiting list for the moon…. (n.d.). Retrieved from
            http://backstoryradio.org/2013/08/19/pan-am-and-the-waiting-list-for-the-moon/