Who will lead the future???

It's the end of the year at GCE and in Frontiers, we finishing off strong. The first AP was our introduction to the innovation of the future and this last one is wrapping up that intro. This unit was all about space. We read Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson to open up the unit. There, we got some insight into the more technical aspects of both space and universal laws like gravity and elliptical orbit. After that, we moved on to researching our own topics we found to interest us when continuing the unit. One really intriguing aspect of space for me was how stars created elements so I began to research if stars could create any new elements that aren't on the periodic table. Sounds like a great research question filled with a long road of unanswered questions and investment right? Wrong. I quickly found that new elements not on the periodic table couldn't be created naturally. After hitting this brick wall I decided to focus on another topic, but this time broaden the level of space I would be looking into. I instead resolved to research the debate on whether private companies should head space exploration instead of governments. Apparently, this debate has been going on for quite a while and had many opinions and details to consider. The research paper below summarizes my findings.

Who will lead the future???

    It seems that in every sector of civilization, there is a debate about leaving the tough jobs and market up to the government or allowing private companies to step in to take over. Science is a perfect example. The United States Office Of Science And Technology oversees the country’s technological and scientific advancement through research, experiments, etc. But why is this a government issue, and not something controlled by private companies? That’s exactly what's happening with space. Space exploration for the past few generations has been headed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). In recent years, however, it seems that the public, as well as some government entities, are speculating that it may be better for space exploration to be led by private companies, for a number of reasons.

    According to an article written by Mike Wall, a senior space writer for Space.com, private/commercial space exploration has been on the rise since the mid-2010s. Private companies were just starting to get shuttles and supplies into space to the ISS, but it seemed that they were missing 2 key components. The first is technological advancement. Technology has advanced tremendously since then, especially with digital technology’s data capacity. The second was the level of that company’s expansion or influence. Elon Musk and his SpaceX, for example, hadn’t gotten enough traction from other private partners and investors. In fact, Musk himself wasn’t as iconic with his achievements, further disrupting the expansion of his company as well as SpaceX.

Gaille, Brandon. “17 Top Pros and Cons of Space Exploration.” BrandonGaille.com, 19 Mar. 2018, brandongaille.com/17-top-pros-and-cons-of-space-exploration/. Accessed 29 May 2022.

    In recent years, the ISS (international space station) has been showing evidence of its time coming to an end. Key components of the station are deteriorating and it is estimated that it will fall soon. Wilson Center says that NASA doesn’t have the resources or funding to repair the ISS, so they are planning to aim for a collision course into one of the Earth’s seas in order to minimize damage to both the space station and the life in the area where it falls. This plan is feasible but is the least desirable for NASA, so they have resolved to look for a partner in a private company. A private company would be able to provide the funding and resources needed to not only fix the ISS but even expand it to be more efficient.

    Not only do private companies have a plethora of resources that aren’t available to government programs, but they would also be more likely to be safer. Research provided by NewScientist states that 18 people have lost their lives on a space expedition conducted by NASA. This number is amazingly low considering all of the factors that go into space exploration and that this is out of 355 people that have been launched into space on a NASA mission, but it's still a considerable death count. The Space Review speaks to the ethical implications of private space exploration and they had plenty to say. The article supports the idea that private companies are more likely to take the time to ensure that their missions are safe and will result in zero casualties. Private entities and their space projects are backed by shareholders, investors, and other independent scientific partners. These figureheads that are behind the scenes of these private companies would pressure the heads of the space projects to ensure that there are no casualties for the sake of the company’s validity and stock ratings. It's a very simple reason to want to ensure the safety of space explorers, but it makes the most sense and is one of the most valid reasons. Nobody wants to be a part of a company that is outcast by the public because of space casualties.

    The only downside to this that the article also mentions is that private companies only want to get into space exploration as a means to a capitalistic end. The assumption is that these private entities would prioritize marketing space exploration for monetary gain as opposed to the advancement of civilization. Both Forbes and Fururism.com, come with interestingly corresponding points about how to address the capitalistic goal of the privatization of space travel. They suggest that as opposed to private entities completely taking over space exploration and leading all space missions, private and government entities collaborate and join forces to meet the goals. The goal of going into space with an abundance of resources and funding, and the goal of being able to somewhat use the sector of space exploration to sway the appetites of the modern market for private entities. The idea is fairly simple. Governments would lead the missions and use their own pilots and whatnot, while private companies provide the money and resources needed to expand on research, testing, facilities, and the production of equipment.

    Traveling into space is quite an important ordeal for civilization on earth. New materials, new habitable terrain, technological innovation, and more. Exploring space can send us into the future, but with certain restrictions on government operations, private entities must step in. Should private companies take over completely, or should private and government collaborate? There’s no, single, answer. However, just like most things, time will have to tell.









Work Cited:

Wall, Mike. “The Private Spaceflight Decade: How Commercial Space Truly Soared in the 2010s.” Space.com, Space, 20 Dec. 2019, www.space.com/private-spaceflight-decade-2010s-retrospective.html. Accessed 25 May 2022.

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“NASA: 60 Years & Counting - Human Spaceflight.” NASA, 2016, www.nasa.gov/specials/60counting/spaceflight.html#:~:text=Over%2030%20years%2C%20NASA’s%20space,355%20different%20people%20to%20space.. Accessed 25 May 2022.

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“Has Anyone Ever Died in Space?” New Scientist, 2015, www.newscientist.com/question/anyone-ever-died-space/. Accessed 25 May 2022.


“NASA Looks to Private Sector for Successor to the International Space Station.” Wilson Center, 2020, www.wilsoncenter.org/article/nasa-looks-private-sector-successor-international-space-station. Accessed 26 May 2022.

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“The Space Review: The Privatized Frontier: The Ethical Implications and Role of Private Companies in Space Exploration.” Thespacereview.com, 2021, www.thespacereview.com/article/4238/1. Accessed 26 May 2022.

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