SNS: New Space: An Overview

In This Issue
Week of 02/26/2018
Vol. 23 Issue 7

Special Letter: New Space: An Overview

• The Import of the Falcon Heavy
• Transportation
• Activities in Earth Orbit
• Deep Space Missions
• Missions to the Surfaces of the Moon, Mars, and Asteroids
• The Shocks to the Space Exploration Paradigm
• About Michael Sims

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Publisher’s Note: Today, hardly a media issue goes by without some mention of the promise of the commercial move into space by private firms. SNS member Elon Musk has succeeded in disrupting costs and changing the paradigm of who, what, when, and at what price both cargo and humans can leave the planet, and where they may go next.

But even so, almost all of these media mentions are just that – enthusiastic pieces with little or no real information for those who have more than a passing interest in one of the greatest economic opportunities of our lifetimes. Sure, launch vendors don’t like to publish costs, timetables slip, companies and their supply chains suffer, business models are constantly being reinvented, and there is much business data on going into space that remains proprietary, and therefore secret.

For these reasons, it makes great sense that the person we found to share exactly this information is Michael Sims (see bio below), who spent 20 years at NASA, where he worked on Mars rover missions, and has been a pioneer in the private space industry as CEO of Ceres Robotics Inc. For those who want to know the real story behind what it takes to make money in space, this issue will be invaluable. – mra.