#2019 ROCKET LAUNCH SCHEDULE HOW TO#
Yet alongside the numerous benefits to society, increasing access to space and supporting an economy in orbit comes with its share of challenges, including how to balance a growing industry with the safe and sustainable use of outer space. Once a realm dominated by just a few spacefaring nations, the cosmos is opening up to nascent space programs around the world, to entrepreneurs and innovators, to commercial companies and even to students. “It’s a huge sea change from the former paradigm,” said Ariel Ekblaw, founder and director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative. Smaller satellites and lower launch costs mean startups and students can sometimes launch projects for just a few thousand dollars. It has revamped the orbital landscape, dramatically expanding access to the cosmos and fueling what is projected to grow into a trillion-dollar commercial space industry.Ĭompanies that once had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to put a satellite into orbit can now do the same for a fraction of that price. The flurry of activity has been driven in recent decades by significantly lower costs to launch into space, the availability of smaller, cheaper components to build satellites and other spacecraft, and the growth of private space companies.
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