The nineteenth century had witnessed the competition between the space agencies of the United States and USSR for dominance in rocket technology which was advanced versions of thoughts of pioneers and geniuses. This journey is taking a leap forward termed as the golden era for space startups pushing billionaires for sturdy investment in the volatile yet highly earning services business.
The positive outcome of two cold war opponents laid a path for ‘space age’ after the Soviet Union first successfully launched Sputnik 1 in 1957 it replied by the United States with Explorer1. The spacecraft are used for communication, navigation, planetary exploration, earth observation, sending passenger for the orbital station and now space tourism is propelling the private space agencies with investment as a profitable business model.
Space Entrepreneurship is key for low cost space travel and settlements beyond earth.
Space horizons are endless so as the human race and ambition to travel deep in the universe in search of many answers on living at second home near to earth and travel as a tourist. The heavy and much advance versions of the rocket by developed nations experimented on possibilities and private companies paving way for space tourism, research and launching satellites in bundles with higher success rates.
The cost behind space missions is always huge, as far as $ 1.5 billion per is the cost of mission; so the success of launch is important. The rocket industry is on expansion mode due to ambitions, competition, and entry of private players backed by billionaires; it witnessed bigger editions of space launches this year from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Arianespace’s and United Launch Alliance.
‘Space Entrepreneurship’ is giving velocity to commercial satellite market is filled with huge ambitions of private companies which are expanding capabilities in space launching while strong investment pushed for advanced and cost-effective technology. The government agency NASA itself using SpaceX Dragon aircraft for cargo resupply in the International Space Station, that ended the government hold into space exploration and it is now battle-ground for billionaire business tycoons capturing the demand in space tourism and private satellite launching. According to an investment firm, Space Angels private investors poured $ 3.9 billion last year with a record 120 venture capital firms fueled infrastructure and technology of private space companies.
COMMERCIAL SATELLITE MARKET
According to Global market, Insights report the commercial satellite market share is set to reach the US $ 7 Billion by 2024 and it is getting bigger due to Automotive, Electronics, Military and IT sectors having an aspiration of using the integrated build in technology across the globe. The increasing number of vehicles integrated with built-in navigation units will contribute majorly for launching additional satellites. Additionally, Oil & Gas companies across the globe use vehicle tracking systems for their official vehicles and tankers to locate their vehicles and maintain transparency.
The ever-expanding market is getting bigger as private players are investing in high spirits to tie up with clients looking for space exploration and the year 2018 is a remarkable year for private space launch companies.
The fastest developing Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced the launch of 3000 satellites in the next 10 years and eyeing global market. Global aircraft leader Airbus is investing heavily ($ 17 B) for OneWeb satellite with reduced weight and enhanced performance.
BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY
The Space Industry is benchmarked at US$ 360 billion in 2018 is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.6%, to value US$ 558 billion by 2026. The increasing demand for nano-satellites and reusable launch vehicle systems is expected to be motivated by the investment made by countries like US, China, Russia, and the European Union in the development of next-gen satellite systems and the large scale procurement of such structure by countries like Saudi Arabia, India, Japan, and South Korea.
According to a new report from Space Angels, there were 20 completed deals in January to March, close to $975,799,660 which huge investment taking shape in space technology.
Billionaire Space Race
Over $250 million was poured in satellite startups, including a $13.5 million investment Series A in Astranis and a $150 million Series B for Spaceflight Industries. Launch companies continue to lead the investment scene, though, receiving 72% of the total investment dollars last quarter.
“This quarter, the average investment in Satellites is $21 million,” the report says. “While the average investment for launch is $117 million.”
The number of space startups attracting investment is growing, too. Of the 20 deals that Space Angels tracked for 1Q2018, 11 of them were early-stage investments, totaling about $88 million. But there are mature companies as well – about 30% of the deals last quarter were Series B or C rounds, according to the report. “Up 10% from a year ago.”
Analytic Image Credit: Space Angels
The report notes that $14.4 billion has been invested in the industry since 2009. Not surprisingly for a venture capital firm that invests in space startups, it’s also a promising market that such companies are a good value for investors.
MUSK ON REINVENTING THE SPACECRAFT GLORY
[ELON MUSK, Tesla, worth $22 billion]
The Elon Musk’s Tesla is creating a difference in making future cars, pushing sustainable energy and curbing the fuel usage which is limited. To revolutionize transportation on outer space Musk’s Space founded Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) in 2002 is now worth $ 20 billion. It is taking a formidable step with this company by raising $ 500 million in funding to help Starlink, a planned satellite-based internet service. Musk is personally eager to visit Mars notwithstanding life risk revealed his aspiration, saying: “I’m thinking about moving there.”
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch, Credit : SpaceX
SpaceX Falcon 9 recently launched India’s first privately built satellite ExseedSAT 1 with 63 other satellite from 17 countries, most interestingly cremated remains of 100 people from military veterans and it’s a landmark achievement by sending all together at comparatively low cost, the block 5 of Falcon 9 can be reused up to 100 times. SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket did successful launch with the ability to launch complex and heavier cargo in the orbit.
The SpaceX is leading in the turf, the way on cost cutting mission — dubbed SSO-A, (SmallSat Express mission) also marked the third voyage to space for the same Falcon 9 rocket. The blast-off used a recycled booster for the third time. It has landed more than 30 of these boosters back on Earth and has mastered in re-using them on subsequent operations.
BEZOS RECOVERABLE ORBITAL ROCKET
[JEFF BEZOS, Amazon, worth $112 B]
So many feathers in his hat, the wealthiest men in the world, Jeff Bezos backed ‘Blue Origin’ is an inspirational project started off in the year 2018, which is developing reusable rockets i.e New Shepard in attaining the lower cost of launching payload and landing successfully on earth. His worth is around $ 22 Billion and now founder of Spaceflight Company and he knows the magnitude, “It’s the most important work I’m doing,”.
The Shepard vehicle tested the ability of its crew capsule to obtain a high-speed escape maneuver. Bezos is doing away from its business and it is ‘Space Entrepreneurship’ for exploration in space which will help the next generation in reaching the conclusion to the low-cost mission.
Bezos is pouring heavily in Blue Origin; it’s about $1 billion of his Amazon stock into the rocket venture each year as media reported.
Last month, the space company landed a major rocket deal and won a contract to supply the next-generation engines for the massive rocket United Launch Alliance is developing.
RICHARD BRANSON MAKING FORTUNES IN SPACE
[RICHARD BRANSON, Virgin Group, worth $5 Billion]
Virgin Galactic is Spaceflight company under the umbrella of Virgin Group is Richard Branson’s brainchild developing commercial spacecraft which can carry passengers to outer space taking criticism for its technology. Branson’s SpaceShipTwo reached in outer space which is testing for six-passenger for making space tourism into reality. The space ship will also be used NASA scientific experiments on the test flight. The technology was licensed and faced hiccups after the year 2007 explosion while testing propellant and in 2014 SpaceShipTwo broke during the test flight and killed co-pilot.
More than 700 affluent customers to date, including celebrities Brad Pitt and Katy Perry, have reserved a $250,000 (£200,000) seat on one of Virgin’s space trips, media reported.
Virgin Galactic Journey
Sometimes ambitions become fatal, Virgin Galactic crashed during test flight killing one pilot. The incident happened when SpaceShipTwo was on its testing for commercial travel; it reminds us of the wide dangers of space exploration.
These companies are breaking the ice and taking on private and government contracts with strong backing and heavyweight experiments for living up to the dreams of colonization of the red planet.
The more adventurous commercial travel tests are performed by Jeff Bezos’ to take space tourists on voyage carrying the traditional method of a capsule atop a rocket that blasts off from a launch pad. SpaceX’s recently proclaim to take a wealthy Japanese entrepreneur and his friends on a trip around the moon. Taking on challenges in space industry the business tycoons are giving wings to the dreams of space tourism and low price commercial launches.