Roosevelt Review growth of private space companies located to specific projects. Fol- 9. Hedman, Eric R., Eric R. Hedman, Successfully Maneuvering The United States Into to contract out many of its previous lowing Administrator Lightfoot’s and Logic Design Corporation. “Is hardware projects. This will not new Strategic Plan, Congress must NASA Afraid to Take Risks?” The an Age of Private Spaceflight Companies only free up personnel within the address the specific project funding Space Review: Is NASA Afraid to Take agency, but it will also be far more allocations which could be in con- Risks? Accessed April 06, 2018. 10. Markoff, John. “Smaller, Faster, cost-effective and promote the flict with NASA’s new strategy. This By Ben Kaplan Cheaper, Over: The Future of Com- fast-paced and successful research process could begin as early as next puter Chips.” The New York Times. at which the private sector excels. year. However, it will likely take de- September 26, 2015. Accessed April These savings can be utilized by cades for it to fully come to fruition 06, 2018. https://www.nytimes. NASA to greatly bolster the fields as already funded projects would com/2015/09/27/technology/small- Introduction al ATK for billions of dollars in in which it excels over the private need to run their course before er-faster-cheaper-over-the-future-of- Space: The final frontier. For Background government contracts based on sector. These areas are twofold: their funding can be reallocated. computer-chips.html. nearly a century, space has drawn In recent years the commercial its lower cost of operations. These fostering international cooperation 11. Masunaga, Samantha. “Don’t out efforts from countries to push space industry has grown at an contracts have allowed SpaceX to and research. Fostering internation- References Expect a Space Race between SpaceX and NASA. They Need Each Other.” beyond Earth to seek resources, annual rate consistently higher than grow from a small company, to a al cooperation must become a core 1. Berger, Eric. “Air Force Budget that of comparable infrastructure fully fledged competitor on the tenant of NASA’s mission as the Reveals How Much SpaceX Undercuts Los Angeles Times. March 05, 2017. defense, and the science fiction-es- Accessed April 06, 2018. que prestige of discovering the and communications industries. international stage. Additionally, as world moves into the age of pri- Launch Prices.” Ars Technica. June 15, 2017. Accessed April 06, 2018. https:// 12. Masunaga, Samantha. “Don’t extra-terrestrial. Yet, recently space The commercial space industry a private company working for the vate space flight. NASA’s unilateral Expect a Space Race between SpaceX was last evaluated in 2015 as worth government, SpaceX is free to take backing from the U.S. government arstechnica.com/science/2017/06/ exploration has been shifting more air-force-budget-reveals-how-much- and NASA. They Need Each Other.” $323 billion and growing. Of this on risks and aptly named moonshot places it in the strongest possible and more toward a private model. spacex-undercuts-launch-prices/. Los Angeles Times. March 05, 2017. This shift comes as little surprise, $323 billion, the United States projects, which would be impossi- situation for these negotiations. 2.Canis, Bill. “Commercial Space In- Accessed April 06, 2018. http://www. following a pattern of slashed government made up 14%; NASA’s ble for a government space agen- The second priority, research, is dustry Launches a New Phase.” Con- latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-na- funding for government space total budget currently sits at 19.8 cy attempt. Currently, NASA has one of NASA’s core duties, and it gressional Research Service. https://fas. sa-20170301-story.html. programs, increased demand for billion dollars. Other countries begun to head down what could be simply cannot be fully pursued by org/sgp/crs/space/R44708.pdf 13. National Aeronautics and Space extra-terrestrial solutions, and an made up a total of 10%. The com- a fruitless path, trying to compete private companies as they are profit 3. “Contact CIA.” Central Intelligence Administration. “2014 Strategic Plan” 14. National Aeronautics and Space extension of Moore’s Law toward mercial space field is growing at the directly with private space compa- motivated. NASA must place more Agency. Accessed April 06, 2018. rate of any booming industry, and nies. However, NASA must realize focus on research that serves the https://www.cia.gov/library/publica- Administration. “FY 2017 Agency space-related technologies. Each of Financial Report.” these factors has pushed both the yet it is regulated by decades old that today space exploration is not common good but does not have tions/the-world-factbook/fields/2056. html. 15. Niiler, Eric. “NASA’s Risk-taking research of space solutions and the treaties and regulations, which were and should not be pursued only by immediate profitability. May Be Getting Scary Again.” Wired. ambiguous at the time and are all the wealthiest governments. A new focus on the promotion 4. Dillow, Clay. “Does Elon Musk execution extraterrestrial missions Have One More Trick up His Sleeve?” June 03, 2017. Accessed April 06, 2018. but irrelevant within the modern of international cooperation and away from the public eye and into CNBC. May 13, 2015. Accessed April 16. Singh, Sarwant. “The Space Indus- the fast-paced and profit-driven world of space exploration. Recommended Action research, enabled by the unload- 06, 2018. try: Seriously Congested, Contested private sector. A drop in govern- Currently, the private space in- NASA must realize that it cannot ing of physical launches and other 5. “Does the Future of Space Travel Lie And Poised For Growth.” Forbes. July ment oversight on space programs dustry relies greatly on contracts compete with private space compa- similar tasks to private companies, with NASA or Space Entrepreneurs?” 21, 2014. Accessed April 06, 2018. allows for discovery and progress at from public space programs and nies in the areas which these com- will allow NASA and the United The Washington Post. Accessed April speeds that appear breakneck when the U.S. military. The relationship panies excel. By their very nature, States to continue to lead the world 06, 2018. http://www.washington- compared to present day NASA and between private companies bidding private companies can grow faster, in the great race, even as the sector post.com/sf/national/2013/11/23/ its procedures aimed at risk reduc- on government contracts is by no risk more, and act with greater evolves. which-way-to-space/?utm_ter- tion. Yet, while the private sector means a new practice. Government efficiency, than a government agen- m=.94e299ba2030. 6. Dunbar, Brian. “NASA Organization may focus on progress and explo- agencies, from the Environmental cy can. Yet, they can also quickly Conclusion Protection Agency to the Drug fail, go bankrupt, and disappear To move NASA forward into the Structure.” NASA. January 08, 2015. ration no matter the risk involved, Accessed April 06, 2018. Enforcement Agency, have been completely, things no government world of private space companies there are human and diplomatic 7. Evans, Jason. “The Decline of NASA factors that must be considered using the natural competition of agency would undergo within a un- we must see an initial action from and the Rise of Private Space Explora- when pursuing the uncharted and the free market to ensure they der a similar period of time. NASA Robert M. Lightfoot, the current tion.” Accessed April 06, 2018. loosely regulated domain beyond receive the services they need at is here to stay and is backed by the administrator of NASA. He must 8.Hampson, Joshua “The Future of Earth’s atmosphere. The unique the lowest viable cost. This is no strongest and wealthiest govern- begin by rewriting NASA’s Strategic Space Commercialization.” Niskanen strengths of both private and public different for the space industry. In ment in the world. That longevity Plan for 2019. This new plan must Center. https://science.house.gov/sites/ space programs must be utilized to recent years, the young company and stability places it in a situa- prioritize the tasks discussed above. republicans.science.house.gov/files/ create the strongest combination SpaceX has beaten out aerospace tion totally unique from a private Additionally, much of Congress’s documents/TheFutureofSpaceCom- for space exploration as a whole. giants such as Boeing and Orbit- company. NASA must leverage the funding for NASA is directly al- mercializationFinal.pdf 64 65