Leonard David at SPACE on how the economic downturn is expected to affect prospects for commercial spaceflight:
But one big issue looms for NewSpace next year, said Jeff Foust, an aerospace analyst, journalist and publisher, as well as editor and publisher of the respected website, The Space Review. And that topic of trepidation is the state of the economy.
“This is going to affect companies in the industry in two ways. One, it’s going to make it that much more difficult for companies to raise the money needed to develop their vehicles,” Foust told SPACE.com. ”It won’t directly affect companies that are already self-funded or otherwise fully-funded – like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Armadillo Aerospace, Bigelow Aerospace, etc. – but those companies trying to raise tens of millions of dollars or more to carry out their business plans will find that steep path to funding has become even steeper.
Foust also noted another impact tied to the rocky economy – a potential reduction in customer demand, particularly in space tourism. A whiplash from the continuation of a deep recession in 2009, he said, may well be people reconsidering tossing out $95,000 to $200,000 or more for suborbital jaunts, or putting the trip off a few years – to a time when, presumably, the economy recovers.
The silver lining:
“During 2009, entrepreneurial space companies will continue working on their propulsion systems, airframes, and all the other components necessary for successful access to space,” Greason explained. “So we will see engine tests, other subsystem tests, and progress on vehicle construction and system integration.”
But given all that activity, Greason added: “We’re unlikely to see any new systems enter service in 2009. People should not find this disappointing. This is the hard work that is necessary to make affordable spaceflight a reality, and it will lead to first flights in 2010.”
Spotlighting that next year will likely become the “tipping” point in the emerging personal space flight industry is Stuart Witt, general manager of Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Witt’s end of the year message is straightforward: The industry has an opportunity to expand to many locations across the nation if operators are successful at Mojave.
Here’s a bonus link for the space obsessed.
Tags: commercial spaceflight
