Will Private Spaceflight Actually Become A Thing?
NASA aims to travel to the moon again—and beyond. Here’s a look at the 21st-century race to send humans into space.
By NADIA DRAKE and Victoria Jaggard at National Geographic Artist: OWEN FREEMAN for National Geographic
Private spaceflight is not a new concept. In the United States, commercial companies played a role in the aerospace industry right from the start.
Since the 1960s, NASA has relied on private contractors to build spacecraft for every major human spaceflight program, starting with Project Mercury and continuing until the present.
SpaceX, which established a new paradigm by developing reusable rockets, has been running regular cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station since 2012.
And in May 2020, the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft carried NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS, becoming the first crewed mission to launch from the United States in nearly a decade.
Other companies, such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, are specializing in sub-orbital space tourism.
