On July 20, 1969, at 4:17 p.m. EDT, about 150 million people stood in front of their television to watch Neil A. Armstrong become the first person to step on the moon. His iconic sentence, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” remains one of the most notorious quotes ever said and strongly reflects the importance and hopes placed in space exploration at that time.
When NASA was created in 1958, it was originally founded in response to the Soviet advances in space exploration during the Cold War. From the beginning of the 1950s to the end of the 1960s, a space race was established between the US and the USSR. During this time period, NASA’s budget kept growing, reaching its highest funding in 1966, its budget accounting for more than 4% of the federal spending. However, the adoption of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which declared that space is not subject to national appropriation, coincided with a gradual decline in political and public interest in space exploration. NASA’s budget represented less than one percent of the general budget in 2024.
This budget reduction led new alternative funding models to be developed, one of them being the growing interest of private companies in space exploration since the beginning of the 21st century. One that is actually encouraged by NASA through important contracts, for example, the Space Act of 2015, which gave corporations and individuals ownership over the resources they extract from space.
Several companies were recently created with the goal of sending satellites and people into space. SpaceX, created by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, is a great example of this new space exploration. As an ambitious man, he hopes to send a future crew to Mars. Even if he is still far from this achievement, SpaceX, in terms of statistics, has demonstrated impressive results.
‘’So far, SpaceX has had a practically flawless track record: under contract with NASA, it has already made seven trips to the ISS,‘’ said Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan, philosopher, neuroscientist and geostrategist.
The efficiency of private companies in terms of space exploration has been shown several times and has convinced part of the population that space privatization is the solution. Indeed, according to a survey by YouGov taken in May 2021, one third of American adults think that national government agencies such as NASA should share responsibility with private entities for sending astronauts to the moon, the Space Station, or Mars.
‘’I think what we’re gonna see, and we’ve already seen it, it’s the privatization and the commercial funding of space that has driven, I would say, the growth’’ said the President of International Launch Services (ILS), Kirk Pysher, in an exclusive interview for Geospatial World.
SpaceX, for example, has not suffered any casualties, in opposition to government space programs that sadly experienced some failed launches coupled with human casualties, notably the Challenger in 1986 or the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.
Even though space privatization turns out to be a safe, flourishing and positive alternative for space exploration for a lot of people, the idea of Space missions and expeditions run by private companies still raises concerns for many. According to the same survey taken by YouGov in May 2021 about space privatization, still one third of American adults think that national government agencies should be solely responsible for sending astronauts to the moon, the International Space Station, or Mars.
‘’What would space with a strong private-sector presence look like? Our track record with privatization hasn’t been meritorious — think monopolies, loss of democratic voice, environmental catastrophes, a lack of accountability, and reduced information sharing, to name a few.’’ said Debby Pfaff, associate professor of research at the National Intelligence University (NIU)
While progress in space exploration is being made faster with private companies involved. The outcome of all those programs is questioned. Especially when we know that the main purpose of a company is not, like the government, the interest of America, but rather their own interest and profit.
Whether a space owned by private companies would be a good idea is still very debatable. But one thing is sure: private companies starting in the space business are full of ambition and dreams and are motivated to succeed.
“Starship will take humanity to Mars,” wrote Musk on X, referring to SpaceX’s starship spacecraft and super heavy rocket.
Space holds vast potential for scientific discovery, economic opportunity and the future of humanity. While private companies bring innovation and new momentum to space exploration, their involvement also raises questions about equity, regulation and long-term goals. Should the future of space belong to commercial interests or remain under public stewardship ? Perhaps the most urgent question is not just how to reach the stars, but also how we ensure that what is found benefits everyone without triggering conflict and competition or exploitation beyond Earth.
Sources:
YouGov – https://today.yougov.com/
Geospatial World – https://geospatialworld.net/