Unsung private space industry milestone met

[Valin]

Glenn Harlan Reynolds
February 9, 2015

When Columbus sailed west, there were doubtless all sorts of important-seeming topics of discussion, but now when we think of 1492, we think about Columbus. Likewise, though last week saw much discussion about Brian Williams' helicopter lies, ISIL atrocities, and measles, what may turn out to be the big story of 2015 got much less attention. And, ironically, the Obama administration may wind up being most remembered for its tremendous successes in space policy, a field that, as far as I know, doesn't particularly interest President Obama.

 

On the space front generally, the Obama administration's policies have substantially boosted the private space launch industry. Companies ranging from Virgin Galactic to Blue Origin to SpaceX and Xcor and many more are building rockets and experimenting with new ways to get into space cheaply.

 

But another company, Bigelow Aerospace, has been looking beyond the process of getting to outer space, to the question of what to do once we get there. Bigelow has decided that it wants to go to the moon, and — here's the real news — has gotten the Federal Aviation Administration's space office (Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation) to give it the go-ahead, and to state that the U.S. government will recognize and protect Bigelow's right to create a base and to operate exclusively in that base's vicinity.

 

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Private enterprise is the best way to get space development because, to last, space activity must pay its own way. And government programs have a lousy record of generating sustainable development, while private enterprise has a record of success.

 

The FAA's new moon ruling is just the beginning, but it's an important beginning. Enough so that it may well be the most important development of 2015, even if it's not the one that got the most attention.