Space Economy

NASA may be ready to blast off

acohill — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:41:25 -0700

NASA may finally be ready to blast off, literally, with greatly expanded capacity, by going to the private sector for space transportation rather than owning and operating all its own space vehicles.

Faced with the problem of using the literally antique Space Shuttles (more than thirty years old in design) just to get food and supplies to the space station and many years from having a replacement, NASA appears to be finally shifting course.

Part of what enables this shift is technology. What was truly pioneering engineering and research effort twenty or thirty years ago can now be designed with inexpensive CAD/CAM programs on powerful and cheap computers. New materials and computer manufacturing allow small space start up companies to build sophisticated space vehicles quickly and economically.

Regions that have been investing in space (New Mexico, Texas, Virginia, among others) may see a small but steady economic development benefit as space startups win big NASA contracts for various kinds of space vehicles and equipment.

Google and Virgin identify Mars as next big market

acohill — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:47:20 -0700

Virgin Galactic, the space travel start up and spin off of Virgin Airlines, has teamed up with Google to start colonizing Mars. Google is supplying the financial muscle for the venture, and Virgin is contributing the work the firm has already done on their privately funded space vehicle. The two companies are already beginning to solicit team members willing to be part of the first Martian colony.

Europe jumps into the Space Economy

acohill — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:47:42 -0700

The European company (EADS) that builds the Ariane rockets used for commercial satellite launches has announced it has already completed the design for a combination jet/rocket plane that will provide tourists a brief ride into space.

The innovative design will use conventional jet engines to get the spacecraft off the ground, then use a rocket engine to take it to the fringes of space for a short ride. EADS plans to charge about $267,000 for a ticket for a ninety minute ride, and expects to make money from the venture with an estimated four to five thousand customers a year by 2020.

Spa in Space

acohill — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:02:43 -0700

Galactic Suites, the space tourism venture, has a Web site with additional information about the space hotel it is building. Space-related businesses are already transforming the New Mexico economy, and states like Virginia and Texas are also beginning to reap benefits. Not every region will find a niche with space-related opportunities, but the success of New Mexico illustrates that boldness and determination pay when it comes to economic development.

Scramjet test in Oz

acohill — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:37:59 -0700

A Mach 10 (ten times the speed of sound) test of a scramjet took place in Australia, where a rocket carried the scramjet into near space, then ignited the scramjet to return to earth. Scramjets are special jet engines that work at very high speeds and at high altitudes, and research has continued on them for decades with mixed success. A successful and reliable scramjet design would allow travel between London and Sydney, Australia in as little as two hours.

Lots of business will be in space

acohill — Tue, 29 May 2007 05:42:55 -0700

This short article on emerging deals between Virgin Galatic and Robert Bigelow's space hotel venture show that the Space Economy continues to quietly roll along. Even more interesting is the recent deal between Virgin Galactic and NASA to share development on various space gear like heat shields, space suits, and rocket motors. Taxpayers may eventually be the biggest winners as private industry gets into the space business and starts making money. It will become much more cost effective for NASA to buy what it needs from private firms than to build everything in house, as it does right now.

In terms of economic development, California and New Mexico are in the lead, with Virginia close behind. All three states have active spaceport development programs, and formerly obscure chunks of real estate are turning into boom towns.

Spaceport America takes off

acohill — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 04:44:33 -0700

New Mexico's long term vision to dominate commercial space activities in the U.S. continues to mature. The New Mexico legislature has approved $30 million to fund further development of Spaceport America, and the venture already has a $27 million lease signed with Virgin Atlantic. Virgin plans to base its U.S. commercial space operations there, with tourist flights starting before the end of this decade.

It is an instructive lesson for other communities with tough economic challenges. By almost every measure, New Mexico has had a tough time. But the state worked with what it has in abundance--empty land--and turned it into an asset. It was not money or Federal grants that got this done. It was a clearly articulated vision and the determination and grit to stick with it.

Want to be part of the Space Economy? Move to New Mexico. Some of the best high tech jobs in the country are already beginning to move there: composite materials manufacturing for space craft, space avionics, space and air traffic control, advanced air and spacecraft manufacturing, flight testing, and ground support operations and maintenance, to name a few.

SpaceShipTwo is booking passengers

acohill — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:28:17 -0700

As I wrote recently, a lot of my readers just think that the whole Space Economy thing is a litte goofy. But Virgin Galactic has rolled out images of its new sub-orbital space ship, and is already booking seats. Two hundred thousand dollars gets you a two and one half hour trip to the edge of space--about 68 miles above the earth. Pasengers will be weightless long enough to get queasy and/or enjoy the view; the ship will have plenty of windows. Test flights of the system will begin in 2008, and passengers will be lifting off in 2009. And New Mexico's Space Economy is roaring along, and the whole state's economy is being lifted--no pun intended.

New Mexico SpacePort blasts off

acohill — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 07:38:20 -0700

When I first began writing about spaceports two years ago, I got a lot of eyerolling in response. Some economic developers really questioned whether this was something to take seriously. But in just two short years, New Mexico is well on the way to turning the entire economy of the state around.

New Mexico's first commercial space launch will take place this week. Big deal, you say? Nine more are already scheduled for the next year, and the Space Economy is already pumping millions into the state economy. Virgin Galactic plans to use the spaceport for commercial flights that will provide space tourism opportunities in comfortable spaceplanes built by Bert Rutan.

The space stuff is fun, but it is not really the point. A few years ago, by nearly every measure, New Mexico was one of the poorest states in the country. By taking a look at their assets, they determined the one thing they had plenty of--wide open, flat spaces--was good for space industries. They then picked up the ball and ran with it, investing consistently and staying on track, even though a lot of people doubted them. And it is now beginning to pay off.

How about your region? Have you identified your strategic assets and built a plan around a *future* economy--space, energy, knowledge, agriculture? Are you executing consistently, with thoughtful, year after year investments to make the right things happen? If not, why not?

Space puts west Texas on the map

acohill — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 07:39:54 -0700

The emerging Space Economy just keeps chugging along quietly, even though there has not been much news breaking into the mainstream media. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, continues to fund Blue Origin, his space tourism firm. The company is building a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) quite different from Bert Rutan's SpaceShipOne design. The Blue Origin vehicle looks like something from the old 1950s scifi movies. It takes off and lands vertically, and is based on a NASA design that received extensive testing in the 1990s.

If you have ever been to west Texas, you know that there is not much there upon which to base an economy, but it is perfect for a spaceport. It is a great example of thinking outside the box for economic development, and trying to leverage what you do have in terms of local assets, rather than simply continuing to rely primarily on industrial recruitment, which was last effective as a primary economic development strategy in 1983.