Companies Skeptical of Commercial Space Market

Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that Boeing and Lockheed Martin will happily sell rockets to carry astronauts into space, but are leery about taking a leading role in President Obama's vision for a revamped NASA that relies on commercial companies to provide taxi transportation to the ISS. 'I don't think there is a business case for us,' says Lockheed Martin's John Karas about space taxis. Both Boeing and Lockheed were stung during the last burst of optimism for the commercial space business about a decade ago. They invested several billion dollars — Lockheed to develop its Atlas V, Boeing for the Delta IV — in the hopes that the huge market for commercial satellites would supplement their traditional business of launching American military spy satellites. The market did not materialize, and what business there was went to European and Russian rockets that were cheaper. The hoped-for commercial market for space taxis hinges on one small company, Bigelow Aerospace, which is developing inflatable space habitats that it hopes to market as research facilities to companies and foreign nations looking to establish a space program."

Comments

Debate will soon be over

[amightywind]

This silly debate will be over in May when Falcon 9 crashes in the Atlantic. Interesting that the first flight was moved from mid-April to mid-May to make room for Obama. It will take some selling, As America is opposed to this reckless 'plan'.

Re:Government is Clueless about Business

[Amasuriel]

As long as you consider Glenn Beck and other Fox personalities "the bottom" you could indeed classify the Tea Party as a bottom up group.

I'm also not sure what paragraph 3 has to do with what you are saying, though I agree with you on that at least. I think Politics as a whole would be well served by string laws punishing public slander that proves unfounded and anyone caught lying outright should have to bow out of whatever race they were in.

you seem to be living in an alternative universe

[circletimessquare]

where tea party proponents are prudent rational level headed philosophers of responsible fiscal policy

the only tea party i see are a bunch of genuine low iq ignorants whipped into a frenzy by professional radio and television demagogues, and whose only goal is the destruction of government, period, completely unconcerned as to consequences... because its "patriotic"