Andy (Chang) Su
WRIT 340 for Engineers
Revised Illumin Article: 8/6/13
NewSpace — the Future of Spaceflight
ABSTRACT
The United States began rapidly developing its space technology in a military arms race with the
U.S.S.R. during the Cold War, which culminated in the Apollo Program where powerful rockets
and computerized telemetry landed men on the Moon. While American engineering inspired a
generation to pursue science and technology, the political fervor for space was satiated after the
success of Apollo and the space program gradually shrunk to the retirement of the Space Shuttle
Program. However, the youth of the Space Age have grown into entrepreneuring contemporaries
who are rising up to seize the new frontier. They are founding companies like SpaceX, Virgin
Galactic, and Planetary Resources to utilize capital for risks in the burgeoning commercial space
industry. These ambitious endeavors are part of a movement known as NewSpace, which aims to
change the way humans see space.
Trailblazers
SpaceX’s flagship spacecraft “Dragon” lived up to its name on May 22nd, 2013 when it breathed
rocket fire and spread its solar panel wings on its first mission to the castle in the sky—the
International Space Station (ISS) [1]. The Dragon is a cargo capsule developed by private
spaceflight company SpaceX and became the first ever commercial spacecraft to dock with the
ISS. Previously, the ISS was only accessible through exorbitantly expensive launches funded
through government agencies such as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Astronauts and cargo were shuttled to the ISS aboard the
Russian Soyuz rockets or the American space shuttle vehicles. However, since the retirement of
the space shuttles in 2011, a void in the space industry has opened and private companies are
looking to take advantage of it.
Figure 1: The retired space shuttle Endeavor now resides in the California Science Center. [2]
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Successful docking with the ISS is a milestone not only for SpaceX but also for other
enterprising companies looking to take on the final frontier. Ambitious engineers and
entrepreneurs like SpaceX’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, have set their sights on the stars and
are part of the burgeoning industry of private spaceflight. From space transport to space tourism,
the private spaceflight industry looks into the untapped potential of the space frontier once
dominated by the public domain.
Race to the Moon: Origins of Space Technology
Often touted as a lofty ambition for all humanity, space exploration actually began as a military
competition between warring countries. The political fervor of the Cold War sparked and fueled
the development of space technology, including rockets, satellites, and computer communication
systems. In October of 1957, the U.S.S.R. launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, and one
month later, they launched Sputnik II carrying a much heavier payload, including a dog named
Laika [3]. Fearing the U.S.S.R.’s ability to launch ballistic weapons from space, the United
States government rapidly mobilized to develop and launch their own space program, marking
the beginning of the space race where the two competing powers sought to outdo each other in
the space frontier. The United Sates quickly responded in 1958 with the launch of their first
satellite, Explorer I. And shortly after, four years following Sputnik I, President Kennedy
declared the country’s ambitious vision of landing a man on the moon within a decade [4]. Thus
began the Space Age, a time when technology progressed at breakneck pace for man’s conquest
of space.
For their space program, the United States government contracted over 500 companies in the
engineering industry under the direction of NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration [5]. Companies such as Rocketdyne and IBM were hired to design and engineer
new space technology for launch vehicles such as the Saturn V in Figure 2. Rocketdyne was the
main supplier of rockets used to provide the thrust needed to propel humans beyond the Earth’s
atmosphere. They developed the majority of the rockets used in the early U.S. launches and
supplied all the main engines for the Saturn launch vehicle used in the Apollo program to the
moon [6]. Alongside the mechanical developments in space technology, IBM was contracted to
develop the software for the space transport systems. IBM built and programmed the computer
nerve center for the Saturn launch vehicle, known as the Saturn instrument unit (IU). The
instrument complex contained devices to measure the rocket’s position and control the rocket’s
engines, steering the Saturn safely on course [7]. IBM also developed the first embedded
computer with the Apollo Guidance Computer, used by astronauts to control the spacecraft [8].
IBM’s computers were also heavily used by NASA to communicate data from the ground
facilities to the spacecraft [9].
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Figure 2: Saturn V launched astronauts to the Moon and remains the most powerful rocket ever built. [26]
While NASA designed and coordinated the plans for the U.S. space program, the engineers of
contracted companies were the ones who developed the new and advanced space technology.
With the funding from NASA, companies like Rocketdyne and IBM grew in revenue and size,
expanding their facilities and employee teams. The engineering industry worked tirelessly to
develop the technology needed to make Kennedy’s vision a reality. And ultimately, NASA
succeeded in landing the first man on the moon in 1969. The success was a milestone not just for
the thousands of men and women who worked for the space program, but also for all of
humanity. Millions were inspired to pursue the fields of science and engineering to join the
Space Age in propelling humanity to the stars. However, United States’ victory in the moon race
ironically marked the beginning of the end of the Space Age.
NewSpace: Emerging Spaceflight Industry
Once the national space program completed its all-consuming mission of landing a man on the
moon, it lost its direction. Congress began to cut back its funding and left NASA without a
purpose [10]. Using the last of its Apollo rockets, the space agency shifted its focus to
conducting research in space setting up the first U.S. space station, Skylab, and founding the
Space Shuttle Program to build the ISS. However, astronauts flying in circles around the Earth
refurbishing satellites and conducting obscure scientific experiments didn’t captivate people the
way visiting new worlds did [10]. But the legacy of the moon race was not lost. Many of those
inspired during the Space Age kept their starry ambitions and became the engineers and
trailblazers they had hoped to be. Picking up where government monopolies left off,
entrepreneurs and space enthusiasts have joined the emerging private spaceflight industry and
begun building a movement known as NewSpace. NewSpace is a community consisting mainly
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of new aerospace companies all aiming to provide low-cost access to space and space technology
[11]. And they’re sparking the next space age, one that will be founded on hopeful capitalist
ventures instead of heated political competition.
New companies such as SpaceX are proving themselves to be as effective as those companies
contracted by the national space program during the Space Age. And not only are they gaining a
foothold in the spaceflight industry, such as providing transport capabilities to the ISS, but they
are also braving new enterprises that once only existed in science fiction. Developing a new line
of reusable spaceships, Virgin Galactic aims to provide spaceflight for the average man, creating
the new industry of space tourism [10]. And while Virgin strives to bring man to the stars,
another company looks to do the opposite: bring space down to Earth by mining asteroids.
Planetary Resources hopes to tap into celestial bodies for profitable resources like clean water
and rare metals [12]. The ambitious entrepreneurs of these new companies are not blind to the
many engineering and business challenges ahead of them. But they have the tools and resources
to make their visions a reality and prove that there is commercial value in space.
Space Transport: SpaceX
SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, made headlines in
2012 as the first company to develop a spacecraft to successfully dock with the ISS, a mere
decade after its founding. However, it is just one of a dozen new companies NASA supported in
its new Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program [13]. The initiative began
in 2006 to transition out of the space shuttle program and to build up the private space industry.
While in the past NASA would pay contractors to develop and build equipment for the
government to own and operate, this new program offers a more mutually beneficial deal
between the agency and private companies. Through COTS, NASA pays SpaceX for transport
services instead of space technology, saving the government money and risk [14]. With initial
funds and resources provided by NASA, SpaceX has the autonomy to engineer and tests its own
designs for innovative launch vehicles.
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Figure 3: SpaceX’s Falcon9 rocket lifts off with the Dragon capsule for a test flight. [15]
Founder and CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk also acts as the chief engineer for his young company
and consequently is able to make swift decisions to shape SpaceX into the innovative leader of
the private space industry. With the goal of giving the cantankerous and expensive space
industry a sleek new look, Musk started with a clean slate and designed new vehicles from
scratch—the Falcon rockets. Striving for low-cost and efficiency, Musk developed the Falcon
rockets to be simple yet effective. Falcon is a mere two-stage rocket, essentially meaning it
consists of two spacecrafts, each with its own engine and propellant, stacked on top of each other
[10]. Compared to its competitors, which comprise multiple stages and assorted strap-on boosters,
the Falcon rocket is both less complex and less expensive [10]. SpaceX also streamlined the
rocket’s engine by tapping into the rocket’s parts to power its mechanics. For example, the
rocket fuel acts both as a propellant and as a high-pressure hydraulic to actuate its joints [10].
And amazingly, SpaceX has not sacrificed performance for efficiency. SpaceX has developed an
engine with the highest thrust-to-weight ratio of any engine in the world, an airframe with the
best mass fraction (compared to the total mass of the loaded rocket) of any rocket in the world,
and the lightest electronics with the most computing power over that of any other rocket [16]. In
addition to cutting costs in manufacturing, SpaceX also saves money from little overhead and
small launch operations due to its small team of just over three thousand employees [10]. All this
centralization amounts to a mere $6.7 million per launch, which is an order of magnitude cheaper
than what SpaceX’s competitors are charging [10]. Thus by offering the most inexpensive launch
vehicle with breakthrough technology, SpaceX will save NASA a huge expense and also will
make available space transportation for mid-sized businesses and even universities seeking to
send satellites into low-Earth orbit.
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Space Tourism: Virgin Galactic
While SpaceX seeks to open the final frontier to more businesses, companies like Virgin
Galactic are catering to individuals looking to travel into space themselves. Part of the Virgin
business conglomerate that includes Virgin Airlines, Virgin Galactic plans to provide sub-orbital
spaceflights to space tourists. While the trip to space will cost a pretty penny, an estimated
$200,000 a ticket [17], the prospect of giving an average person his/her astronaut wings is
exciting to say the least and requires a spaceship different from that of previous launch vehicles.
The design for Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo is derived from its predecessor which was
responsible for flying the first manned private spaceflight: SpaceShipOne.
Figure 4: Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo utilizes the “feathering” reentry design. [9]
SpaceShipOne is the reusable spaceplane built to launch a human crew to sub-orbit from aircraft.
With the aerodynamic shape of an plane and the fueled power of a rocket, SpaceShipOne is not
the typical spacecraft. The spacecraft was built by aerospace company Scaled Composites for the
Ansari X-Prize, which was a competition for $10 million to successfully launch three people to
space twice in two weeks [18]. To achieve that level of reusability, Scale Composites founder
Burt Rutan utilized a unique “feathering” design for atmospheric reentry [10]. Upon reentering
the atmosphere from space, a spacecraft will experience intense heat and energy due to friction
with the atmosphere from travelling at high-speeds. While the space shuttle employs a thick
insulation layer that burns away upon atmospheric reentry followed by a parachute to slow down,
SpaceShipOne uses a simple wing mechanism that allows it to drop like a feather for reentry
without building up intense heat and energy [10]. The wings of SpaceShipOne are engineered to
reposition themselves for reentry, from a horizontal glider shape to a 90 degree vertical position,
as depicted in Figure 4. Upon reentry, the wings are brought upright to guide the spacecraft’s fall
and the body of the spaceplane with a large cross-sectional area slows its descent [19]. And
before the final moments of landing, SpaceShipOne’s wings reposition themselves back into
glider position to safely glide the crew back to the airport [19]. This unique design remains at the
core of the second iteration for Virgin Galactic, SpaceShipTwo, which has been modified to
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carry six passengers into suborbital flight. Virgin Galactic has conducted multiple successful
tests with the new vehicle [20] and hopes to begin operating its fleet of five SpaceShipTwo
spaceplanes for space tourism by 2014 [21].
Asteroid Mining: Planetary Resources
Aiming to capitalize on the frontier beyond low-Earth orbit is asteroid mining company
Planetary Resources. The American company was founded in 2010 by Eric Anderson, a former
NASA Mars mission manager, and X-Prize (the same foundation that birthed SpaceShipOne)
founder Peter Diamandis announced publicly their ambitious mission in 2012 [22]. Planetary
Resources hopes to tap into the resources within near-Earth asteroids including vast amounts of
water and rare metals. They estimate that harvesting those resources, including platinum, iron,
and nickel [23], would contribute trillions of dollars to the global GDP [24]. Planetary Resources
looks to begin development of its space technology in early 2013, including their own line of
satellites for research, as illustrated in Figure 5 [25]. Since their founding in 2010, Planetary
Resources has received the support of many private investors, like Google executive chairman
Eric Schmidt and Bill Nye of the Planetary Society, and the overwhelming interest from the
public needed to prove their ambitious venture is a viable one.
Figure 5: Planetary Resources proposes space technology to explore asteroids for resources. [24]
A Hopeful Future for a Spacefaring Generation
Through technological advancement, humans have landed on the moon. And new aerospace
companies hope to build on that legacy by engineering breakthroughs in space technology that
will provide low-cost access to space and spaceflight. Companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic,
and Planetary Resources are part of the burgeoning private space industry shaping a movement
known as NewSpace. While these three businesses are still in their infancy stages, they are
proving the high capital potential of the space frontier. They will inspire and mobilize a new
generation of starry eyed engineers and scientists.
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Figure 6: SpaceX’s space station-bound Falcon 9 rocket lifts off behind a mockup of the space shuttle. [1]
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