In recent years, government space agencies around the world have lost their monopoly on missions beyond Earth. Successful launches of private aircraft into orbit or suborbital space are increasingly taking place. The most famous of them at the moment are SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo from Virgin Galactic. The other day, the presentation of the space shuttle Dragon V2 from SpaceX also created a lot of noise. But it is far from limited to only these initiatives. history of private space exploration.

Start. OTRAG

Do not think that the first private company to attempt to explore space without the help of government agencies is Virgin Galactic. In fact, attempts to create alternative ways The conquest of outer space dates back to the end of the seventies, when the company OTRAG (Orbital Transport und Raketen AG) appeared in Germany.

It was founded by German businessman and engineer Lutz Kaiser, who set out on the idea of ​​starting mass production of simple and cheap rockets that could carry cargo weighing up to 10 tons into orbit. The German government, which was initially interested in this project and even, by and large, initiated it, eventually completely switched to creating the Ariane launch vehicle together with France, so the Kaiser had to continue the work on his own.

The first OTRAG test site was built in Zaire, but over time, world powers, fearful of missile technology falling into the hands of dictators from Third World countries, put pressure on Mobutu, and Lutz Kaiser was forced to move the launch site to Libya. There he was able to carry out 14 more or less successful OTRAG launches. But in 1983, Germany joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Missile Technologies and demanded that the Kaiser withdraw his enterprise from the country of Muammar Gaddafi. True, the latter had his own plans for OTRAG and actually took the landfill with all its contents from the rightful owner.

However, Libyan scientists were unable to cope with German missile technology and did not achieve any significant success in this field. Lutz Kaiser moved the tests to Sweden, but in 1987, as foreign policy pressure on OTRAG increased, the once very promising project was finally closed.

In the nineties

In the nineties, several companies, including such reputable ones as Lockheed Martin, founded their own projects to develop private commercial space exploration. But none of them achieved significant success in this field.

In 1996, the $10 million X Prize was created for a team of designers who would fly a manned suborbital spacecraft twice within two weeks. However, it was not until October 2004 that this award was presented. It was received by the Tier One project participants who developed the SpaceShipOne shuttle. Thus began the history of Virgin Galactic.

Virgin Galactic

However, Virgin Galactic was founded by British billionaire Richard Branson several years earlier. She closely monitored all the successes and failures in the private space exploration market and was very interested in the successes of the Tier One team.

In September 2004, just before the successful launch of SpaceShipOne, which led to its receipt of the X Prize, Branson said that he believed in the success of this project and would finance it in order to begin mass tourist flights into suborbital space based on this technology in the future.

The essence of the technology is that the booster aircraft (WhiteKnight) lifts the manned spacecraft to a height of 14 kilometers, and then the latter is separated from the carrier and then flies itself to an altitude above 100 km (this is where, according to NASA, Space begins). After spending some time in suborbit, the shuttle descends to Earth.

With funding from Virgin Galactic, the new space shuttle SpaceShipTwo, the carrier aircraft White Knight Two, as well as the project’s own airport in the middle of the desert in New Mexico were built. The sale of tickets for suborbital flights has also begun, the cost of which starts from 100 thousand dollars.

True, the start of private flights is constantly being postponed. It was planned that they would start in 2011, but at the moment the dates have been postponed to autumn 2014.

SpaceX

Another American company is based at the Spaceport America cosmodrome, which deals with the issue of private flights into space. It's about about the increasingly popular initiative in the media called SpaceX.

SpaceX was created by the famous American businessman Elon Musk. He is one of the founders of PayPal, an electronic money transfer service, and the driving force behind Tesla Motors, an electric vehicle company. But private space exploration is occupying an increasingly important place in Musk’s business empire.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 to begin developing and manufacturing private spacecraft that could deliver cargo and people into Earth's orbit. The technology is based on the same principle that Virgin Galactic uses - the carrier lifts the space shuttle to a certain height, after which it separates and then flies on its own.

But SpaceX uses not an airplane, but a rocket as a carrier. At the moment, three types have been developed - Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 Heavy, and work is underway on new generations of this aircraft, which will allow it to lift even more payload.

The Falcon rocket can carry both the cargo itself and the Dragon-class space shuttle. Its first version, first launched into orbit on December 8, 2010, has proven itself successfully over the past few years. This cargo ship, operating in automatic mode, was able not only to rise to a significant height, but also to dock with the International Space Station, delivering cargo weighing up to 3.31 tons.

And at the end of May 2014, Elon Musk presented to the public a new variation of this spacecraft - . Unlike its predecessor, the second generation Dragon can carry up to 7 crew members. It is planned that this ship in the future will perform the same functions that the Shuttles had.

But SpaceX has another promising space project - the Grasshopper reusable suborbital rocket, the Grasshopper. She received such a strange name due to her ability to take off strictly vertically and also land.

The fact is that the most expensive part of any rocket is its first stage. And if you learn to maintain it after the start, you can reduce the cost of launch by seventy percent.

However, the maximum height to which the Grasshopper rocket was able to rise and then safely descend is currently 744 meters. But the technologies developed at Kuznechik are then implemented as part of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle project.

Bigelow Aerospace

Another potentially successful space tourism company is Bigelow Aerospace, founded in 1998 by hotel magnate Robert Bigelow. An American entrepreneur decided to partially move his business into outer space. After all, if active flights of private spacecraft into orbit have now begun, then why don’t you open your own space station there, which will become the first orbital hotel in history?

Bigelow Aerospace launched two artificial Earth satellites into orbit in 2006 and 2007, Genesis I and Genesis II, the peculiarity of which is their variable sizes. They fly into space folded, but when they reach a certain height and stabilize at it, they begin to inflate. It is on the basis of this technology that Bigelow plans to develop a hotel business in orbit in the future, and then on the Moon.

At the same time, Robert Bigelow actively collaborates with other participants in the private space race, for example, with the company SpaceX already mentioned above. He even established America's Space Prize in 2004, promising to pay $50 million to the team that will be the first to create an aircraft that takes 5 people to an altitude of 500 kilometers and returns back. But it must be a PRIVATE spacecraft. So far there has been no award paid, but the main contender for it is the Dragon V2 shuttle.

Bigelow Aerospace is actively working to create and improve technologies for launching inflatable space stations. It plans to send the first-ever hotel for space tourists into orbit by the end of this decade. Fortunately, technology has come close to realizing this idea.

Armadillo Aerospace

Virtually all successful modern private space projects exist with the money of specific investors - famous and public figures. We have already talked in this article about Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic, Elon Musk and SpaceX, as well as Robert Bigelow and Bigelow Aerospace. Another company in the same direction, Armadillo Aerospace, was also founded by multimillionaire John Carmack, co-founder of id Software, known for the games Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Quake.

Armadillo Aerospace was founded in 2000. She began developing the spacecraft in order to win the X Prize, but after the award was awarded to the Tier One team, John Carmack's company switched to other similar competitions, in particular the Lunar Lander Challenge. The latter involves the issuance of several monetary awards to teams of researchers who create aircraft with vertical take-off and landing.

Armadillo Aerospace has developed and launched the Pixel and Texel (Quad rocket technology) spacecraft, Mod and Super Mod rockets since 2000, and has been actively working on a project called Stig since 2010.

The Stig rocket, like all the vehicles mentioned above, has vertical takeoff and landing. Moreover, thanks to the GPS satellite geolocation system, it can land in the same place from which it took off, with an error not exceeding 55 meters.

SkyCube

But not only big capital is capable of working on a private space program. Any of us can join such a project. After all, there are already crowdsourcing projects that involve space exploration. Of course, we are not yet talking about launching manned aircraft, but people can send their own satellite into orbit, donating according to their financial capabilities.

The creators of the SkyCube project offer on the Kickstarter website to everyone who wants to donate an amount of $10 or more to launch the satellite into orbit, for which they will subsequently receive access to it for a certain time. For a minimum fee, an investor will be able to send 5 tweets to a common account in 1 minute, for $20 - 10 tweets and receive unique photo from Space. The higher the investment, the greater the return on it, for example, for 6 thousand, among other things, you will be able to personally be present at the launch of the rocket that carries SkyCube into the sky.

The private SkyCube satellite is designed to last 90 days in orbit. At the end of the period, it will release a special gas and burn in the upper atmosphere. This spectacle will be visible to the naked eye from Earth.

Cosmonautics

The material was being prepared for publication in Novaya Gazeta. The text is presented in the author's edition.

Just recently, new breakthroughs were expected from private space exploration: the resumption of long-distance manned flights, cheaper satellites and rockets, and simplified access to the results of space research. Today there is an understanding: the renaissance in airless space is postponed, if not cancelled.

On May 22, 2012, a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from the Canaveral Space Center carrying a Dragon cargo spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station. Thus, a new page in the history of world cosmonautics opened - the arrival of private investors in the “big space”. Three months later, the American private company Planetary Resources, which declared its goal to mine asteroids, received several million dollars of investment from a venture fund with Russian participation, I2bf. At the same time, the private rocket plane Space Ship Two made successful test flights, which was to become the basis of a program of tourist flights into near space. In general, it seemed that a space renaissance had finally arrived and private harvesters were about to set off for asteroids, shuttles would go to the Moon, transplanetary corporations would flourish, and Lieutenant Helen Ripley would take up service on one of the heavy ore carriers...

In the West, where private traders have been working for NASA almost since the agency’s inception, they have come up with their own term for the new wave of companies - New Space. In Russia, where space was traditionally state-owned, it is being successfully replaced by “private astronautics.”

From Russia, the development of New Space is closely monitored. The former head of Roscosmos, Vladimir Popovkin, met with the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, and looked for Russian businessmen who were ready to become the Russian equivalent of the American. At the same time, a space cluster was opened at the established Skolkovo Foundation in the hope that “Russian Masks” would pour there from their garages where they were making rockets.

More than three years have passed since then. During this time, four Russian private satellites went into space, but the emergence of a company even closely comparable to SpaceX never materialized.

TO beginning of XXI century, the situation in Russian and American cosmonautics, despite the significant difference in budgets, was similar in some respects. Both agencies were in a crisis of identity, trying to find their way in the face of a defunct space race. The industry was formed in a similar way - each country had its own pair of competing giants: Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the USA, and State Research and Production Center named after. M.V. Khrunichev and RSC Energia in Russia. NASA was promoting an ambitious and extremely expensive Constellation program - with a flight to Mars and the construction of a base on the Moon. In Russia, heads of state-owned enterprises promised a base on the Moon by 2015, hoping for increased budgetary injections.

As the first decade of the new century passed, the paths of the space agencies began to diverge. In the USA, Boeing and Lockheed Martin created the United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket monopoly, while public funds monies allocated to space have been steadily declining since 1989. The Constellation program was closed, burying the almost finished Ares rocket and leaving only the project for the new Orion spacecraft. In 2011, the expensive and dangerous, albeit effective, Space Shuttle also had to be abandoned. The International Space Station has been completed, and driving the shuttle into orbit is like using a mining dump truck as a minibus.

In this situation, NASA management decided to raise a new generation of space corporations and offer space at lower prices. The launch of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) and Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) programs was announced. The first was to cultivate “loader” companies to supply the ISS, and the second, “taxi driver” companies, to deliver crews there.

The finalists began to be reviewed by 2010. Orbital Sciences and SpaceX took over the cargo supply. The first company was not a newcomer, having almost thirty years of history behind it, dozens of light rockets launched into space, and the production of spacecraft. SpaceX, created in 2002, has successfully launched only one light rocket, but, apparently, NASA has already paid attention to the ambitious creator of the company, Elon Musk.

Three companies entered the second round of the competition to deliver crews to the ISS: Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada. Each of them offered their own solution. The too exotic shuttle from Sierra Nevada was “cut down” at the third stage, and now only two companies are preparing a “space taxi”.

While SpaceX relied on developing its own line of rocket engines, rockets and spacecraft, Orbital outsourced everything. Their Antares rocket was built at the Ukrainian Yuzhmash, Soviet-made NK-33 engines were purchased in Samara and modernized in the USA, and the Cygnus cargo spacecraft was made by the European corporation Thales. Such tactics failed when the fifth Antares exploded on the launch pad in the fall of 2014. The same explosion destroyed the first experimental satellite of the “space miners” Planetary Resources. And just a week later, a Virgin Galactic commercial rocket plane, which was unable to lift a single tourist, collapsed in the air during testing.

Only SpaceX continued to launch Dragon cargo spacecraft and launch commercial and government satellites. Elon Musk actively lobbied for the speedy certification of his rocket for military launches in order to undermine ULA's monopoly here and get to generous military budgets. The company's development was hampered only by failures in Musk's adventurous attempts to create a reusable rocket. The Falcon 9's first stages attempted to land on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean, but were twice destroyed upon impact. One day, a storm prevented the platform from leaving the port, and the stage simply sank into the water, although its creators reported that it did so in exactly the planned place.

In the summer of 2015, Falcon 9 suffered another setback - the rocket exploded in the first minute of flight. And suddenly the realization came that private owners are not a panacea, and space is still complex and expensive.

The story is similar with the passion for private nanosatellites. NASA and universities continue to develop this direction, but commercial application will not work out. More than $150 million was invested in the American startup Planet Labs, and they launched more than a hundred nanosatellites to image the earth's surface. Satellites send beautiful pictures that can be admired on the company’s website, but they have never demonstrated commercial viability.

The Russian company Dauria Aerospace also hoped to compete in the microsatellite market. But in 2014, it became clear that we couldn’t count on investments comparable to Planet Labs, so we had to switch to custom-made space technology. In addition, the Sputniks startup and a number of other Skolkovo residents also came. I had to abandon my own projects.

In Russia, as in the USA, the main customer is the state. And here Russian private space was faced with the fact that Roscosmos is not NASA. After the fall of Proton in 2011 and 2012, the Russian space agency engaged in reorganization and reform, in which private space was not considered a partner at all. NASA is relying on the principle of “don’t keep your eggs in one basket” and is investing billions in developing a competitive environment. The Federal Space Agency is moving in the opposite direction - becoming its own private owner and monopolist. Even historically established competing centers are being liquidated: preparations are being made for the creation of engine-building, satellite-building, and rocket-building holdings.

In such an environment, there are not many areas for development left for Russian space private owners. The most obvious is to achieve government orders by hook or by crook. Moreover, it is not necessary to rely on Roscosmos - there are other departments in Russia.

For example, the Ministry of Communications several years ago ordered a satellite from the French. And in April 2015, Roscosmos admitted that with the current amount of funding in the next 10 years, it will not cope with the requirements of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The military will also probably find something to do in low-Earth orbit.

The Western market is practically closed for Russians - there are plenty of their own startups there. Therefore, only the East with the BRICS countries remains, but the markets there are still just taking a closer look at the possibilities of space business. Although the first sign is already there: “The Chinese investment fund “Cybernote” today

Space exploration is all that involves our familiarity with space and everything that lies beyond the lower layers of the Earth's atmosphere. Robot travel to Mars and other planets, sending probes beyond solar system, studying fast, cheap and safe ways for people to go into space and colonize other planets - all this is space exploration.

Through the efforts of brave people, brilliant engineers and scientists, as well as space agencies around the world and private leading corporations, humanity will very soon begin to explore space by leaps and bounds. Our only chance to survive as a species is colonization, and the sooner we realize this (and hope it's not too late), the better it will be.

Bolivian Space Agency (BSA)

The Bolivian Space Agency is an organization tasked with the development of high technology, human resources, preparation and application of satellite communications programs in the fields of education, defense, medicine and meteorology in Bolivia. According to the government standard, the Bolivian Space Agency will be “a decentralized public institution with its own legal and administrative autonomy.”

On February 10, 2010, Bolivian President Evo Morales signed Order No. 423 establishing the Bolivian Space Agency. The agency will be formed from representatives of six ministries, who will be appointed by the president of the country. Supreme body in BKA there will be CEO. The government will initially invest one million US dollars in the new agency; in the future, the agency will be financed by the state, donations and foreign loans. The total investment in the first space program is estimated at 300 million US dollars.

Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB)

The Brazilian Space Agency is a government civil organization in Brazil responsible for the growth and development of the country's space program. It operates the Alcántara spaceport and the Barreira do Inferno rocket launch complex. The agency was founded on February 10, 1994.

The agency allows Brazil to play a leading role in space among Latin American countries and makes Brazil a valuable and reliable partner for cooperation on the International Space Station.

The Brazilian Space Agency pursues a policy of technological space international cooperation with the development of its own space program. At the beginning, it was heavily dependent on the United States and ESA, but after a number of difficulties caused by the difficulty of transferring Western technologies, Brazil began to work with other countries, in particular with China, Ukraine, Russia, and Israel.

The Brazilian Space Agency is the heir to a significant national space program that was controlled by the Brazilian military and transferred to civilian control in 1994.

UK Space Agency (UKSA)

The UK Space Agency is the UK government space service, founded on April 1, 2010 in Swindon. It was first unveiled at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center on March 23, 2010 by politicians Peter Mandelson, Paul Drayson and British-born astronaut Timothy Peake.

At the time of its creation, the UK space industry was valued at £7 billion and provided 60,000 jobs. The UKSA's 20-year plan includes increasing output to £40 billion and 100,000 jobs, as well as increasing its share of global industry from 6 to 10%.

UKSA took over all responsibilities, staff and assets of the British National Space Center (est. 1985).

Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

The Canadian Space Agency is the Canadian government space agency responsible for the Canadian space program. The agency was founded in March 1989 by the corresponding act on the Canadian Space Agency Act and approved in December 1990. The head of the enterprise is the president, who reports directly to the Minister of Industry. Since September 2, 2008, the CCA has been headed by Stephen McLane.

The head office of the CSA is located at the John Chapman Space Center located in the town of Saint-Hubert (Quebec). The agency also has an office in Ottawa at the David Florida Laboratory, and there are also several communications departments in Washington, Paris, Cape Canaveral and Houston.

The space agency's astronaut corps consists of 8 people.

Kazakhstan Republics Ulttyk garysh agents

The National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan is an executive body of the Republic of Kazakhstan, part of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, performing the functions of providing public services, management of state property and law enforcement functions in the field of research, use of outer space for peaceful purposes, international cooperation in the implementation of joint projects and programs in the field of space activities.

On March 27, 2007, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev signed Decree No. 502 “On the formation of the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan.” In accordance with the Decree, the Aerospace Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan was abolished and the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan was formed as an independent unit in the government structure.

Lieutenant General Talgat Amangeldievich Musabaev was appointed chairman of the agency.

On August 6, 2014, during the reorganization of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the functions of the ministry were transferred to the new Ministry of Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan

國家航天局

The China National Space Administration is the national space agency of the People's Republic of China, responsible for the national space program.

The agency was founded in 1993 when the Ministry of Aerospace Industry was split into CNSA and China Space Corporation (CASC). The former institution was responsible for policy, while the new one was responsible for implementation. This division of responsibilities proved somewhat unsatisfactory, since both agencies were, in effect, one large agency, sharing both personnel and management.

During a complete reconstruction in 1998, CASC was fragmented into many small state-owned companies. This created a system very similar to that used by the Western defense industry, where facilities that are government agencies establish their operating principles, then are contracted to meet operational requirements, with the facilities being owned by the government but not operated by the government. .

Milli Aerokosmik Agentliyi

The National Aerospace Agency of Azerbaijan, NASA, is the government agency responsible for the space and aviation program of Azerbaijan. The agency was founded in 1974 as the Caspian Scientific Center as part of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)

The Government Research and Applied Research Association is an Australian government agency. Founded in 1926 under the name Advisory Council of Science and Industry. Subordinate to the Australian Department of Science. The organization's headquarters are located in Canberra.

The organization's staff consists of about 6,600 people. CSIRO maintains more than 50 centers throughout Australia, as well as biological control research stations in France and Mexico.

CSIRO is famous for inventing the atomic absorption spectrometer, developing the first polymer banknote, and researching biological control methods such as creating epidemics of myxomatosis or other viruses to control rabbit populations.

Advances in information technology include the Funnelback search engine and the Annodex data format.

In October 2005, the journal Nature announced that CSIRO scientists had developed a near-perfect rubber from resilin, an elastic protein that is responsible for the jumping ability of fleas and helps insects fly. On August 19, 2005, CSIRO and the University of Dallas (USA) announced that they were able to produce transparent sheets of carbon nanotubes, which would enable the mass production of carbon nanotube products.

Česká kosmická kancelář

The Czech Space Office is a Czech government organization dedicated to supporting and promoting Czech space programs. It was founded in November 2003.

The main tasks of the Czech Space Office include establishing contacts between Czech companies and projects in the field of astronautics, cooperation with the European Space Agency and the International Astronautical Federation. The Office maintains an information and referral center.

The headquarters is located in Prague, the director is Jan Kolář.

European Space Agency (ESA)

European Space Agency - international organization, created in 1975 for the purpose of space exploration.

ESA has 21 permanent members, with Canada also participating in some projects.

The Agency's headquarters is located in Paris. The European Space Research and Technology Center is located in Noordwijk (Netherlands). The European Space Control Center is located in Darmstadt (Germany). The European Astronaut Center is located in another German city, Cologne. The Earth Observation Center and Information Center of the European Space Agency are located in Frascati near Rome (Italy). The Kourou spaceport in French Guiana is used for launches of spacecraft being created. ESA has contact offices in Belgium, the USA and Russia and ground tracking stations around the world.

The agency constantly employs 1,907 people (2005), and its budget is more than 4 billion euros (2012).

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft - und Raumfahrt e.V.

The German Aviation and Space Center is Germany's national center for aerospace, energy and transport research. Founded in 1907. Branches and research centers The organizations are located in several locations throughout Germany, with headquarters in Cologne. The organization is responsible for the planning and implementation of the German space program on behalf of the German federal government. The center is involved in a wide range of research projects, both national and international.

Currently, the German Aerospace Center employs approximately 7,400 people. The organization owns 32 institutes, facilities located in more than 14 cities in Germany, as well as offices in Brussels, Paris and Washington. The organization's 2010 budget was approximately 670 million euros to cover its own research and development as well as operational tasks. One third of this amount comes to the company from so-called third parties (German: Drittmittel). In addition to this, the German Aerospace Center manages approximately 500 million euros of German funds from the European Space Agency and also receives more than 650 million euros for research on behalf of the German Federal Ministry. The organization is a full member of the Space Data Systems Advisory Committee and a member of the Helmholtz Association.

भारतीय अन्तरिक्ष अनुसंधान संगठन

The Indian Space Research Organization is the Indian national space agency under the Indian Department of Space Research. The organization is headquartered in Bangalore, employs approximately 20,000 people, and has an annual budget of approximately 41 billion rupees ($940 million). Since October 2009, the organization has been headed by K. Radhakrishnan.

India has a developed space program and, collectively, is currently the sixth largest space power in terms of potential (after Russia, the USA, China, Europe and Japan).

With the launch of its own satellite using its own launch vehicle in 1979, India chronologically became the seventh space power. In 1980, ISRO has two launch vehicles: PSLV and GSLV. Previously, two less powerful launch vehicles were used: SLV and ASLV.

India is one of the very few space powers that independently launches communications satellites into geostationary orbit (the first GSAT-2 - 2003), return spacecraft (SRE - 2007) and automatic interplanetary stations to the Moon and Mars (Chandrayaan-1 - 2008, Mangalyan - 2014) and provides international launch services.

The first Indian cosmonaut flew on a Soviet spacecraft in 1984. India has its own manned space program and is expected to start manned space flights on its own from 2016 and become the fourth space superpower.

India launched the Mangalyaan spacecraft in November 2013, which entered Martian orbit in September 2014. In the new financial year that began on April 1, 2012, the budget of the Indian Department of Space Research was increased by more than 50% compared to the 2011 financial year.

In the future, ISRO plans to launch its own manned spacecraft. It is also planned to create a new generation Indian reusable transport space system (the Avatar project), and in the distant future (after 2025-2030) - manned flights to the Moon in cooperation with other countries or even independently.

Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)

The National Institute of Aerospace Technology is Spain's space agency, headquartered in Torrejon de Ardoz near Madrid. Founded in 1942.

The organization's budget exceeds 100 million € and is provided by funds from the Spanish Ministry of Defense, as well as from profits from its own projects. As of 2008, the institute employs 1,200 employees, 80% of whom are engaged in research and development (creation of new materials and equipment, certification).

The agency launched the first INTASAT satellite on November 15, 1974, aboard a Delta rocket. The next satellite, MiniSat-01, with a total weight of 190 kg, was delivered into orbit by the Pegasus rocket in March 2002.

During the implementation of the Spanish program to launch micro- and nanosatellites, there was a gap of 23 years. In 1997, work on the creation of low-budget spacecraft was restored. Finally, in December 2004 [source not specified 2036 days], the European Ariane 5 launch vehicle delivered NanoSat-01 into orbit. In the future, it is planned to launch another satellite, SeoSat (Spanish Earth Observation Satellite).

All of these satellites are designed and manufactured entirely in Spain. They are based on a low-cost, feature-rich platform with a standard interface and payload module.

Today INTA controls the Madrid Space Communications Complex and the El Arenosillo launch site in the south of the country. It is from here that meteorological rockets such as INTA-255 and INTA-300, which are produced by the institute, are launched into space.

On February 13, 2012, the technological satellite Xatcobeo, developed at the university, is scheduled to be launched.

سازمان فضايی ايران‎

The Iranian Space Agency is Iran's government organization for space exploration.

In April 2003, the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) was created. A five-year plan for the development of the space industry is being adopted, including the launch of at least five communications and remote sensing satellites, as well as several research microsatellites. ICA is appointed as the main coordinating body, which previously was actually the Iranian Remote Sensing Center. On January 9, 2015, Iran's space program was finally closed.

‏סוכנות החלל הישראלית

The Israel Space Agency is an Israeli government agency that coordinates scientific and commercial space exploration programs. Founded in 1983. The head is retired Major General, Professor Yitzhak Ben-Israel.

Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)

Italian Space Agency - founded in 1988 with the aim of developing, coordinating and implementing Italian space projects. Established under the Ministry of Universities and Scientific and Technical Research of Italy and represents the interests of the country in the European Space Agency (ESA).

The agency's headquarters are located in Rome. There are also two operational centers in Matera and Trapani. The agency's structure includes the San Marco spaceport, located in the territorial waters of Kenya, which is currently not in operation. ASI's annual budget is approximately €1 billion.

The Italian Space Agency and its main subcontractor, the Italian company Alenia Aeronautica (formerly Alenia Spazio, Alenia Space), have created or participated in the creation of a number of satellites, interplanetary stations, the Vega light launch vehicle and have manufacturing experience unique in Europe on orders from ESA and NASA for pressurized space modules: the Shuttle station-laboratory Spacelab, the International Space Station (ISS) modules Columbus, Harmony, Tranquility, Dome and pressurized multi-purpose ISS supply modules (MPLM) launched on the Shuttle " Leonardo (then the Pressurized Multifunctional Module (PMM)), Raphael and Donatello.

宇宙航空研究開発機構

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is the government agency responsible for Japan's space and aviation program. The agency was formed on October 1, 2003 after the merger of three previously independent organizations. Now JAXA has the ability to launch artificial Earth satellites, automatic interplanetary stations, participates in the International Space Station program, plans to create manned astronautics and explore the Moon.

On October 1, 2003, three organizations: the Japanese Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science (ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), and the Japanese National Space Development Agency. NASDA), merged into a single structure called JAXA.

Prior to the merger, these organizations developed various sectors of Japanese astronautics: ISAS focused on space environment and planetary research, NAL on aeronautical research. The National Space Exploration Agency was formed on October 1, 1969 and was involved in the development of launch vehicles, satellites, and the construction of the Japanese experimental module "Kibo" for the International Space Station. NASDA's headquarters were located in what is now the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island, 115 kilometers south of Kyushu.

한국항공우주연구원

Korea Aerospace Development Institute is the space and aeronautics agency of the Republic of Korea. Founded in 1989. It is the main institute of South Korea in the field of space exploration. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon. The most significant result should be considered the development of the Arirang-1 satellite. The main goal at the current stage is the development and improvement of the KSLV launch vehicle. When the Republic of Korea joined the IAE in 1992, the agency became involved in aerospace technology.

Plays an important role in the industry. The institute is the property of the state, and its special status is associated with this. The institute is part of the Aeronautics and Space Agency of the Republic of Korea. The Institute was founded in 1989, and since 1999 it has been collaborating in space research with the Korea Aerospace Corporation (KAI), which is engaged in civil and military aircraft construction, development and creation of satellites. Initially, developments in the space sector were a response to similar ones in the DPRK and took place with technical support from the United States. In 2004, a cooperation agreement was also signed with the Russian side. Research laboratories are located in the city of Daejeon, namely in the specialized scientific town of Daedok. The main customer of the projects is the state. One of the projects is the development of means of delivering satellites into low-Earth orbit - launch vehicles. The institute serves South Korea's first spaceport. Recent projects include the project to create the Arirang-1 satellite, as well as the development of the KSLV-1 launch vehicle.

Agensi Angkasa Negara

National Space Agency of Malaysia - founded in 2002 and aims to improve the country's technological capabilities in the field of space. The agency is headed by Dr. Mustafa Din Subari, who succeeded Dr. Mazlan Binti Othman in 2007.

The agency's infrastructure includes several ground stations for communication with satellites and the main Space Center, where the operations center for monitoring the activities of space missions and an optical calibration center are located. An assembly, integration and testing centers are also being built at the Space Center. To carry out future launches of its own launch vehicles and provide launch services to foreign partners, Malaysia plans to build a near-equatorial spaceport in the sparsely populated states of Sabah or Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo.

Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEXA)

The Mexican Space Agency is a space agency created on April 20, 2010, after approval by the Chamber of Deputies.

The main initiator of the project was Fernando de la Peña, and Mexican-American astronaut Jose Hernandez. The purpose of the creation of AEXA is to promote the development of space technology, increase the competitiveness of Mexican companies and summarize the research carried out in the former National Commission for Outer Space Affairs (National Commission del Espacio Exterior, CONEE), which existed between 1962 and 1977.

Although the study of astronomy in the region dates back to prehistoric times, and there was a “boom” during the colonial period, the progenitor of the agency is considered the National Commission for the Exploration of Outer Space (CONEE). Her office at the Secretariat of Communications and Transport conducted experiments in the fields of rocketry, telecommunications and atmospheric research from 1962 to 1976. After its dissolution, some activities were financed by the already disappeared Mexican Institute of Communications (currently transformed into the Federal Telecommunications Commission), as well as some higher education institutions, such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the National Polytechnic Institute, the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics, Center for Scientific Research and Higher education Ensenada and CINVESTAV.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the US federal government that reports directly to the Vice President of the United States. Responsible for the country's civil space program, as well as for aerospace exploration.

Images and videos obtained by NASA and its affiliates, including from numerous telescopes and interferometers, are published in the public domain and may be freely copied.

Center National d'Études Spatiales (CNES)

The National Center for Space Research is the French space agency. Founded under Charles De Gaulle in 1961. The headquarters is located in Paris. In the past, CNES was also responsible for training French astronauts, but these responsibilities were taken over by ESA in 2001.

CNES also uses Kourou in French Guiana as its main spaceport, which was built in 1969.

Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (LAPAN)

The National Institute of Aeronautics and Space is the Indonesian space agency. LAPAN is responsible for Indonesia's long-term civil and military aerospace research.

LAPAN was founded on November 27, 1963 by former Indonesian President Sukarno after existing for about one year as an informal organization.

LAPAN oversees the foreign-ordered application (telecommunications) program of the first Indonesian Palapa satellites, which were built by Hughes (now Boeing Satellite Systems) and launched using American and European rockets since 1976. LAPAN has developed the Lapan series of microsatellites for launch since 2007 also on foreign media.

For more than two decades, LAPAN has accumulated some experience in the development and testing of high-altitude sounding rockets of the RPS series, and is now working on the creation of small Pengorbitan launch vehicles and the corresponding spaceport infrastructure, which, according to plans, should allow Indonesia to join the space club in 2012-2014.

The planned flight of the first Indonesian astronaut on board the American Space Shuttle in the mid-1980s, accompanying the launch of one of the Palapa satellites, did not take place due to cancellations and reductions in flights and their programs after the Challenger shuttle disaster. In the late 1980s, the USSR made an offer to Indonesia to fly its astronaut to on a commercial basis to the Mir station, but no agreement was reached. In 1997, Indonesia accepted a similar Russian offer to fly to the Mir station, but the mission again did not take place due to the outbreak of the Asian economic crisis. In the 2000s, the Russian and Indonesian sides considered, but also did not realize, the possibility of flying an Indonesian astronaut to the International Space Station.

Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE)

The National Commission for Space Activities is the civilian Argentine government space agency responsible for the country's space program. It appeared in 1991 as a result of the reorganization of the National Commission for Space Research (Spanish: Comisión Nacional de Investigaciones Espaciales, CNIE), which had existed in Argentina since 1960.

On October 16, 2014, ARSAT-1 was launched, the first communications satellite in geostationary orbit manufactured in Argentina (using foreign components).

In addition, several more satellites are planned to be launched in the coming years.

In 1998, the agency received an invitation from NASA to join the project to build the International Space Station (ISS). But the government rejected the proposal due to the high costs involved in participating in the project.

The Gradicom I rocket was launched in 2009, and the Gradicom II rocket was launched in 2011.

In 2007 and 2008, tests were carried out on surorbital rockets of the Tronador I series (Russian: Gromoverzhets). In 2011, the T4000, the third stage of the Tronador II rocket under development, failed to launch. In 2013-2014, Vex was launched, which is a prototype of the low-orbit launch vehicle Tronador II, the first launch of which is planned for 2015.

State Space Agency of Ukraine (DSAU)

The State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) is a specially authorized central executive body that ensures the implementation public policy in the field of space activities, manages the sphere of management entrusted to him, and is responsible for the state of its development.

National Space Organization

The National Space Organization (NSPO, formerly known as the National Space Program Administration), founded in 2001, is the civilian space agency of the Republic of China under the auspices of the Yuan National Science Executive Council. NSPO is involved in the development of space exploration, satellite communications and its development, as well as related technologies and infrastructure (including the FORMOSAT series of Earth observation satellites), and is engaged in research in the fields of aerospace engineering, remote sensing, astrophysics, computer science, space weapons and protecting the national security of the Republic of China.

Taiwan's first satellite, ROCSAT-1, was launched on January 27, 1999, as part of the first space program from 1991 to 2006. ROCSAT-2, launched on May 21, 2004, was also launched into orbit.

NSPO headquarters and primary ground control are located in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Netherlands Institute for Space Research

The Netherlands Institute for Space Research (NIKI), the national agency for space research, is the representative of the Netherlands in the European Space Agency, developing and using satellite equipment for the purposes of astrophysics and earth sciences.

The organization was founded in 1983, and was called Stichting Ruimteonderzoek Nederland (Dutch Organization for Space Research). It was renamed in 2004. Shareholders include NASA and ESA. The institute is located in two buildings: the main one is in the eastern part of the city of Utrecht, the second is in the north of Groningen.

조선우주공간기술위원회

The Korean Space Technology Committee is the government space agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The Committee is believed to have been founded in the 1980s "for the exploration of outer space and its peaceful uses." KKKT is responsible for all activities in the country regarding the production of artificial satellites and other space research.

In March 2009, the DPRK announced its accession to the International Outer Space Treaty of 1966 (since March 6, 2009) and the Convention on the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space of 1974 (since March 10, 2009).

Under the direction of the Committee, the first three space launches were officially carried out in the DPRK: on August 31, 1998 and April 5, 2009 from the Donghae Cosmodrome (Musudan-ni) and on April 13, 2012 from the Sohae Cosmodrome (Tongchang-ni) attempts were made to launch into orbit, respectively. the experimental satellites Gwangmyongsong-1 and Gwangmyongsong-2 and the application satellite Gwangmyongsong-3. The first two launches were declared by the DPRK to be successfully launched and operating in orbit, but were not confirmed in the world; the third launch, according to observations by the international community and recognition of the DPRK, ended in failure. On December 12, 2012, North Korea successfully launched the Gwangmyongsong-3 satellite, making the country the 10th space power capable of launching satellites on its own launch vehicles, ahead of South Korea.

The Space Technology Committee reported that the DPRK plans to launch several artificial satellites into orbit, “intended to study the Earth’s natural resources, weather forecasting and other purposes important for the economic development of the country,” and in the future even organize manned flights on its own.

State Corporation for Space Activities "Roscosmos"

Russian state corporation created on December 28, 2015 after the abolition of the Federal Space Agency.

In January 2015, a decision was made to transform the agency into a state corporation, with Igor Komarov appointed head. The period of legal registration of the state corporation will take about six months.

The Russian Space Agency (RSA) was established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 185 of February 25, 1992.

The Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos) was formed by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 651 of May 25, 1999 by transformation from the Russian Space Agency (RKA).

The Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) was formed by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 314 of March 9, 2004 by transformation from the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.

The State Corporation for Space Activities Roscosmos was formed by decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated December 28, 2015 through transformation from the Federal Space Agency.

Türkmenistanyň prezidentiň ýanynda Milli kosmos agentligi

The National Space Agency under the President of Turkmenistan is the government agency responsible for the space program of Turkmenistan. The agency was founded in 2011.

In 2011, by decree of the President of Turkmenistan, the National Space Agency under the President of Turkmenistan was established.

The agency is located in the building of the Main Directorate of Civil Defense and Rescue Works of the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan. In the future, a special administrative building will be built for it.

Today, the agency is located in the building of the former Ministry of Finance of Turkmenistan.

মহাকাশ গবেষণা ও দূর অনুধাবন কেন্দ্র

The Space Exploration and Remote Sensing Organization is Bangladesh's national space exploration agency.

It was established in 1980 as an autonomous research organization under the Government of Bangladesh, becoming the nation's premier institute for peaceful space exploration, Earth remote sensing and geographic information systems. It works in close cooperation with the American NASA, Japanese JAXA, French CNES and Chinese CNSA.

In 2008, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company and the Better Business Forum suggested that Bangladesh should immediately take steps to launch the satellite as it is very important for the development of the country's telecommunications sector. In April 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced her government's intention to launch Bangladesh's first satellite into orbit in 2013. In November 2009, the Government of Bangladesh officially announced that, in accordance with the concept of "Digital Bangladesh", it plans to launch a telecommunications satellite into orbit in 2011 with the help of other countries. The government also emphasized that the country intends to use space for peaceful purposes.

In March 2010, during the China-Bangladesh Summit, the Chinese side expressed interest in providing Bangladesh with all necessary assistance to put the satellite into orbit.

The successes of SpaceX have allowed Elon Musk’s company to constantly be in the news. However, few people know that, for example, SpaceX's main competitors - the American ULA and the French Arianespace - are also private companies. But besides them, there are other private owners in the world with interesting projects and promising developments! In this video we will not once again raise the topic of Musk’s brainchild. We will try to tell you about its possible partners and competitors. This is a kind of guide to private space companies. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has achieved significant success in private space: in just ten years, they have gone from being guys who were openly laughed at by future competitors to becoming a real monster, devouring commercial orders and carrying out almost a third of all world launches of this type.

Competitors are already declaring that, “We are considering the possibility of reusing rocket stages,” they are conducting their own tests, or directly announcing plans to create new, reusable models. But since these competitors are not always large government entities, today I want to tell you about the smaller fish of commercial space - private space companies.

In this review I will omit plans that are written only on paper. Just as we prefer not to talk about Elon Musk’s ideas for colonizing Mars, I would prefer to tell you only about those companies that have built something, launched something, or at least presented working prototypes. So here we will only talk about, let’s call them that, “operating” private space companies.

To begin with, it is worth noting that companies may not be completely private. Because of this, I will split the review into two parts: first, let’s talk about those companies in which some state has a stake, and then we’ll move on to completely independent players. At the same time, keep in mind that, for example, in the USA, such players are quite supported by NASA with the help of budget money. But this is still not direct financing, but rather assistance interesting projects, running as a common line in the budget for everyone.

Arianespace

Perhaps it’s worth starting with the largest players: the French company Arianespace has been on the market for almost 25 years. They recently underwent a management reformatting, so now Arianespace is part of the ArianeGroup association - together with, again, the French Airbus.

Well, I consider it partially private precisely because a third of the shares of Arianespace for a long time belonged to the state-owned French space agency. Or - the National Center for Space Research.

ArianeGroup is involved in three areas: space launches, security and defense. But we are interested in the first, the management of which is assigned to Arianespace.

In total, since the mid-80s, Arianepsace has already made 243 launches. Her Ariane 5 is considered one of the most reliable rockets in history: 81 successful launches in a row! The company has a missile fleet of three launch vehicles: the heavy Ariane 5, the light Vega and the Russian medium Soyuz. The rockets are launched from the Guiana Space Center. It's not far from Brazil, if anything. Yes, Russian engineers fly there specially for Soyuz launches.

Currently, the company has 58 advance orders and is developing its new rocket, Ariane 6. Rumor has it that engineers are thinking about creating a separate version of Ariane 6 with the possibility of reusing the first stage. So far, there is quite a bit of information on this matter, but what is known for sure is that the rocket will be produced in two versions: logically, for lighter and heavier missions.
It is worth mentioning here the Airbus division, Airbus Defense and Space, which is engaged in the creation of commercial and military satellites. Their satellite platforms are used in orders for various devices: from small ones designed for remote sensing of the Earth to large telecommunications satellites.

One way or another, today Arianespace/ArianeGroup is one of the leaders in the global space launch market, completing more than 10 orders annually. We have many recordings of their broadcasts on our channel, and, of course, you can also watch future launches with us.

Mitsubish Heavy Industries

Let's jump to Japan. Everyone has heard about Mitsubishi. At least everyone who has seen cars of this brand. But few people know that the company is a huge association of subsidiaries. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is engaged in areas traditional for parent associations of space companies: defense, security, aircraft manufacturing, shipbuilding... But, as always, we are only interested in rockets and space trucks.

And there are already three of them in the MHI park. The HII-A and H-IIB launch vehicles and H-II transport cargo ships, originally developed by the Japan Space Agency.
As you probably know, Japan participated in the construction of the International Space Station: it gave money, it spent the whole module (the largest one, by the way). It's called kibo, or “hope” in our language. So, since 2009, they have also been sending trucks to the ISS, on average one per year, and launches are already planned until 2019.
If we return to missiles, then here with the Japanese everything is somehow very… Japanese. Not in the sense that it is stubborn and incomprehensible, but in the sense that it is clear and sharpened: their first H-I successfully completed 9 launches since 1986, it was replaced by H-II, which sent 5 missions into orbit, which after the first serious failure was sent for revision. And finally, the modifications that followed, H-IIA and H-IIB, together made 40 launches, plus one failure. It is noteworthy that the H-IIB was developed precisely as an even more reliable version of the H-IIA to launch trucks to the ISS. And so far she has only been working on trucks.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is currently working on the next generation of the Launch Vehicle, you'll never guess what it will be called. Okay, yes, H3: the first launch is scheduled for 2020, and commissioning, if successful, is planned for 2021.

The fact that Mitsubishi's launch vehicle and spacecraft development is paid for by the Japanese government prevents me from including it as a completely independent player.

Orbital ATK

From Japan we smoothly move to America, where we try almost until the end of this review. For starters, in Dulles, Virginia. This is where the former Orbital Sciences Corporation, now known as Orbital ATK, is headquartered. The renaming took place after a merger with another large American private company - Alliant Techsystems, which gave the company the abbreviation ATK. It would be logical to split our story in two, so I’ll start with Alliant Techsystems.

This company is a true veteran of space development. They have collaborated with other giants like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and scientists to create more than 10,000 parts for the James Webb Telescope, and even developed solar panels for the InSight Mars lander, scheduled to launch next year.

Their GEM solid rocket boosters are installed on the Delta II and Delta IV rockets, and right now, as part of Orbital ATK, they are working on components of the future super-heavy launch vehicle Space Launch System, the first test launch of which is expected in 2019.

As you can see, ATK mainly dealt with rather narrow-profile orders: to assemble a motor here, to screw a solar panel here - simple, high-quality, but small. It was the merger with Orbital in 2015 that allowed the company to get a permanent customer in the form of itself, and Orbital to get rid of the need to constantly enter into contracts with contractors, now using its Alliant Techsystems production facilities.

The history of Orbital is no less rich than that of SpaceX: its own, albeit built with money from the US defense industry, the small Minotaur rocket launched from a Pegasus aircraft, the lightweight Antares, designed to launch its own Cygnus trucks to the ISS. Participation in the state CRS program for the commercial supply of the station, where Orbital has already won twice and received much-needed private contracts. And if SpaceX, in addition to launches to the ISS, was able to actively engage in the development of commercial launches on the heavy Falcon 9, then Orbital is doing worse: Antares flies only with Cygnus, Minotaurs - exclusively in the interests of the US Air Force. And in 27 years, a little less than forty Pegasus were launched.

But, to be honest, Orbital ATK does not pretend to do much: the company exists precisely for the sake of working on government programs USA, the merger of its two component manufacturers has significantly simplified organizational issues, and stable participation in scientific missions, such as work on future telescopes and interplanetary vehicles, suggests that the state will continue to use the services of reliable Orbital ATK engineers.

Well, now let’s move on to completely private space companies.

Completely private companies

United Launch Alliance

As in the case of conventional private companies, we start with a real giant of the space industry: the merger of two American companies, Boeig and Lockheed Martin. I will deliberately not devote too much attention to ULA, because if we separately consider the successes and work of its constituent companies, I will have to make a separate video, perhaps more than one. My goal is to tell you about smaller market players.

However, I just can't help but mention that before the merger; Boeing, for example, participated in the development of the legendary Saturn V launch vehicle, which delivered American astronauts to the moon. She created a lunar all-terrain vehicle, which successfully carried the same astronauts on the satellite. The upper stage, which was used to launch spacecraft using the Space Shuttle. Launch vehicles Delta II, Delta III and Delta IV, in partnership with McDonnel Douglas. The X-37B spaceships fly in orbit in fully autonomous mode for three years, carrying out a mysterious mission commissioned by the US Air Force. Spacecraft Surveyor, Mariner-10, Curiosity, in the end! And I haven’t yet mentioned my active participation in the development of the International Space Station and the Unity and Destiny modules built for it. In general, since the beginning of active space exploration by the Americans, the private Boeing, better known in the world for its aircraft, has successfully assisted NASA in almost all key missions. Let's not forget about the platforms for commercial telecommunications satellites, which are used by broadcasters along with the previously mentioned platform from Airbus Defense and Space.

Lockheed Martin has an equally impressive track record: working on the Atlas family of launch vehicles since its second version (at that time it was handled by General Dynamics, whose division was later sold to Lockheed). Interplanetary missions to the Moon and Mars: MAVEN, Juno, OSIRIS-REx, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: devices that are now in the news. Spitzer and Hubble telescopes. Even the GPS program that we all use was developed by Lockheed Martin.

In general, everything is clear here without additional explanation: ULA, one way or another, lies on the shoulders most of historical research missions, including interplanetary ones. Today they carry out about ten launches a year (and the number of planned ones has decreased by almost a third after SpaceX received permission to carry out government launches), the company is also losing private orders, but it is foolish to think that they will give up all their markets without a fight. the main problem here in another way - over decades of a de facto monopoly, United Launch Alliance has become a clumsy and extremely bureaucratic company, in many ways similar to other state-owned ones.

ULA's current rocket fleet consists of two families of launch vehicles: Atlas and Delta. Work is underway on a partially reusable Vulcan, and the company is also involved in the development of the Space Launch System. Well, I can’t help but remember the Orion manned spacecraft: they should go to the ISS before 2021. In addition, a test of the manned CST-100 Starliner, which is produced by Boeing outside the ULA association, is expected next December.

Again, we should not forget that NASA is giving away near-Earth space to newcomers in the space industry, and ULA continues to receive contracts for the assembly and launch of interplanetary spacecraft, at least by inertia. The rest, apparently, have not yet matured.

Bigelow aerospace

Speaking about ULA's plans, one cannot help but recall another private American company - Bigelow Aerospace. Yes, we will periodically move away from rocket technology to talk about other areas in space. It is the brainchild of Robert Bigelow (which the billionaire modestly named after himself) that is working on interesting, deployable space modules, one of which ULA and Bigelow aerospace are going to launch to the Moon in the early 2020s.

In the press, such modules are often called “inflatable”, which is incorrect. The design of an expandable room involves its deployment, this process is somewhat similar to the unfolding of a tourist tent. You're not inflating a tent, are you?

In general, since the company's founding in 1999, Bigelow aerospace has been actively inventing new space modules: they conducted two successful tests of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 single chambers in 2006 and 2007, and then began designing a full-fledged BEAM module for International Space Station.
The company's persistence (and success) convinced NASA to at least give Bigelow Aerospace a chance, and a contract was signed in 2012. The company joined forces with Sierra Nevada Corporation, which we will talk about later today, and completed the creation of the module within three years. It was docked to the Tranquility module of the ISS in test mode (that is, it was hermetically sealed, and the cosmonaut team opened it several times a year and took measurements), but two years later, when the reliability of the design and materials was confirmed, it was decided to leave BEAM orbit and used as a spare warehouse, which made it possible to free up several racks at the station itself for equipment for scientific experiments.

And if BEAM itself is quite small: about 16 cubic meters in volume, then the new developments of Bigelow Aerospace look much... larger. First, we are talking about the A330 and B330 modules, each of which is about a third in volume of the International Space Station, and inside is more reminiscent of the American Skylab: a large hollow space with rod-shaped instruments inside. Secondly, it is impossible not to mention the Bigelow commercial space station project, which will be assembled from just such B330 and small Sundancer modules, which will most likely be used as gateways and docking nodes. The launch is tentatively scheduled for 2020, although delays in test manned flights of SpaceX Crew Dragon and Starliner, produced by Bigelow and Boeing, may push this date forward by 2-3 years. In any case, the project of a private commercial space station is very ambitious, although even today Bigelow has everything it needs to implement this idea. True, there is nothing yet to transport staff and tourists to this space hotel. So we are waiting: in the next year and a half, plans and dates should become significantly clearer.

Blue Origin

A company that is often compared in the press to SpaceX, although, perhaps, they do not have much in common. In any case, this was the case until recently, when Blue Origin, founded by the owner of the Amazon online store, Jeff Bezos, announced the development of its own reusable launch vehicle with its own BE-4 engines.

But if we talk about what Blue Origin has now, we will only find the New Shepard suborbital single-stage rocket and a small capsule ship of the same name. All this beauty should serve the interests of the space tourist, allowing people with wide and full pockets to fly into space for a few minutes and then return to Earth. We watched the tests of New Shepard live: it looks, of course, beautiful, but it is more of a pampering experience. Although I also don’t want to downplay the successes of the private company’s engineers.

New Glenn is of much greater interest, especially considering that the ubiquitous United Launch Alliance is involved in the development of the BE-4 methane engine. Already, Blue Origin has rented the LC-36 site at the Space Center. Kennedy (the one in Cape Canaveral) and is gradually preparing the infrastructure for launching a future rocket. The availability of commercial contracts for the first launches is also encouraging: Eutelsat and OneWeb have already bought space on New Glenn for their satellites.

In general, Blue Origin quite successfully got into the program of replacing Russian rocket technologies in the United States: the development of BE-4 was carried out even before the signing of final contracts with the United Launch Alliance, and the presence of an already operating system in the form of New Shepard allowed it to attract additional attention. We can only wait for the beginning of the 2020s: that’s when Vulcan should definitely fly, and testing of the New Glenn rocket will just begin. Most likely, Blue Origin will become the first company after SpaceX capable of fully reusing the first stages of its launch vehicles.

Vector Space Systems

The market for commercial launches is gradually growing, more and more companies can afford their own small satellites in orbit, and the miniaturization of technology allows these satellites to be made much more compact than 5-6 years ago. It is logical that in such conditions companies appear that want to provide the opportunity to launch a small spacecraft into orbit at a reasonable price. Vector Space Systems is just one such company.
Its founder, Jim Cantrell, helped Elon Musk launch SpaceX, but soon left the company, believing that it would not be profitable. As the years passed, SpaceX captured the market, and Jim (probably) counted the lost profits. And he got to the point that in 2016 he founded his own private space company: Vector Space Systems. A few months later, already in 2017, he carried out the first test launch of the ultra-light Vector-R launch vehicle, developed by Garvey Space Systems, which Vector absorbed literally immediately after its founding.

One way or another, VSS now already has a contract to launch six satellites weighing up to 50 kilograms (that’s how much the rocket can launch into low Earth orbit), and is preparing to refurbish launch pad number 46 at the same Space Center. Kennedy at Cape Canaveral, and is actively trying to get permission from the US authorities to launch ultra-light rockets from mobile launch platforms, literally from large trucks. In parallel, work is underway to create our own small spaceports and the possibility of using floating barges for launches from the ocean. But warm and luminous launches from a forest clearing will always remain in our hearts.

Rocket Lab

You may have noticed that we are moving from large and well-known companies to newcomers in the space industry. From, ahem, large rockets to ultralight ones. And it is with a small private launch operator that we close today’s topic of rockets.

Rocket Lab, another relative peer of SpaceX and Blue Origin, was founded in 2006. The company is notable for the fact that, despite its “registration” in the United States, it uses a private spaceport located all the way in New Zealand.

This year, 2017, tests of our own Electron launch vehicle began. The first launch was not successful, but the second is already planning an attempt to put four nanosatellites into orbit. If everything goes well, the company’s Moon Express spacecraft should be launched to the Moon in 2018 - this will happen as part of the Google Lunar XPrize competition. By the way, write in the comments if you are interested in the topic of the lunar competition from Google, if there are many people interested, we will make a separate video about it.

In general, Rocket Lab cannot boast of great achievements so far, but the future fate of the company will become known in the near future. We include it in this list primarily due to its existing developments, its own cosmodrome, and the ability to already launch rockets.

Virgin Galactic

Following the names of Elon Musk and Jeffrey Bezos, you can often hear the name of Richard Branson. Yes, this is another billionaire who decided to make money in space. Well, to be more precise, on suborbital flights.

Founded by Branson in 2004, Virgin Galactic already has its own spaceport and two suborbital spacecraft, SpaceShipOne, and, guess what, SpaceShipTwo.

I really doubted whether to include Virgin Galactic in this list, because the flights of their ships are carried out to an altitude of about 100 kilometers, and the pilots are not formally considered astronauts... Again, rockets are not used here, the first escape velocity is not achieved - the flight takes place along a parabolic trajectory - spaceships are more like high-flying airplanes. But still, Branson’s brainchild deserves our attention with its plans to make regular suborbital tourist flights, a kind of space tourism on the Blue Origin level.

It is worth mentioning that during testing of the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft in 2014, one of the pilots died as a result of an accident, which significantly slowed down development. But by the end of 2016, the company was able to recover from the consequences of the tragedy and successfully tested a new ship of the same model - VSS Unity.

Well, it won’t hurt to know that Virgin Galactic includes the company Scaled Composites, which designed both ships. By the way, she, together with Orbital, already known to you, worked on the Pegasus launch vehicle, the one that is launched from an airplane. Well, she also had a hand in the mysterious X-37 rocket plane.

Overall, Virgin Galactic certainly deserves a place on the list of suborbital carriers. But its place on our list, rather, was ensured by the presence of its own spaceport. And the absence of any government money in principle.

Sierra Nevada Corporation

The name of this company has already been heard today in the context of collaboration with Bigelow on the expandable BEAM module. Sierra Nevada Corporation. A large-scale private American space company with representative offices in the UK, Germany and Turkey.

Founded back in 1963, SNCorp has long been developing various electronic systems for the defense industry, such as training stands, virtual shooting ranges, and the like. But I began to study space seriously in the mid-2000s. To be completely precise - since the acquisition of SpaceDev. The latter also has a rather interesting history: engineers developed a device for a mission to study one of the near-Earth asteroids, tried to fit into a flight to Pluto, even helped Scaled Composites (well, the one that is now in Virgin Galactic) with engines for SpaceShipOne.

However, we are interested in the history of both companies right from the moment of their merger: it was then that work began on the DreamChaser spacecraft. There is a rather complicated situation with participation in the NASA competition for commercial manned spacecraft, the death of the director of SpaceDev, James Banson, who left his post after losing this competition... Then repeated participation, the first money received, again “flying” past the contract... But the most important thing is that in In the end, the persistence of Sierra Nevada Corporation did bear fruit: the company received funding from NASA to develop its own ship.

Externally, DreamChaser is a bit reminiscent of SpaceShuttle, being three times smaller in size. The ship is a transport and cargo ship, unmanned, although development of a manned version is still underway. There is even consideration of sending a service team to carry out technical work on the Hubble telescope in the mid-2020s.

It turns out that SNCorp became the only company after SpaceX and Orbital ATK that received permission from the US authorities to fly to the ISS. The first launches of DreamChaser on an Atlas V launch vehicle are expected in 2019, and final checks and tests of the system are now underway.

By the way, the UN also wants to use the ship’s services, as part of a program that should allow UN member countries that do not have the ability to independently launch missions into space to conduct experiments in the DreamChaser cabin in zero-gravity conditions. But such missions are unlikely to begin before the dream chaser has proven his reliability.

Sierra Nevada also tied itself with the US Department of Defense with a contract to create a new generation of satellites, but, as always, there are few details here.

And again I have to end the story about yet another private owner with the words “there are a couple of years left to wait.” We wait!

Masten Space Systems

It's time to move on to very small companies. Masten Space Systems is a space, or rather rocket, company based in the Mojave Desert in California. Since 2005, she has been desperately trying to win some kind of competition, to get at least a small contract, but so far the company has not been awarded the jackpot prize. However, MSS has prototypes and even working samples, so it would be rude of me not to include it in this list.

The main area of ​​work is vertical take-off and landing systems: those that can be useful both in the operation of interplanetary missions (landing modules, for example), and in the development of future reusable launch vehicles. The most promising development is Xeus, a lunar lander that has been improved several times, pre-approved by NASA as a possible prototype for a manned lander, and even taken under the wing of ULA: the latter want to try to install their own stage from the future Vulcan rocket on Xeus.

In general, now the situation with Masten Space Systems is reminiscent of Orbital or the same ATK at the very beginning of their development: a small company with promising developments, which serious players are just beginning to become interested in, including in the form of the state. We'll keep an eye on it!

Moon Express

Here we come to the last company in today's review. The story is quite interesting: it was founded by several entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, they immediately managed to reach some agreements with NASA, and the main direction of work was the extraction of resources beyond the Earth. First of all, on the Moon.

With this set of initial data, Moon Express begins its journey to participate in the Google Lunar XPrize competition, while simultaneously launching other promising and interesting projects from a technical point of view, such as a lunar telescope the size of a shoebox. Gets into a couple of programs from the same NASA: first of all, Lunar CATALYST, which, by the way, includes our previous heroine, Masten Space Systems... Finally, in 2016, it receives for use two launch complexes at the Kennedy Space Center, 16th and 17th, and a year later becomes the first private space company in history to receive permission to explore the surface of the Moon.

In 2017, Google fully paid for the ticket to our satellite for Moon Express on the Electron rocket, which we talked about a little earlier, and now the only thing left to do is deliver the MX-1 lander with thirty kilograms of payload to the Moon.
The company also has further plans: if the planned mission is successful, they will receive a prize from Google of $20 million: this will allow them to develop the MX-1 platform. First, install an additional engine on it and increase capacity. Then - increase the possible payload mass to 150 kilograms. Well, in the final version, MX-9, with a capacity of 500 kilograms, it will be possible to return samples from the Moon to Earth.

Of all the future dates I announced today, the closest ones are the launches of Electron with a test load and with the Moon Express device. So we will definitely show you and tell you about these events in more detail.

As you can see, almost all active private space is concentrated in the United States. Of course, there are small German, Italian, Indian, Russian companies, however, as I said at the beginning of the video, today I would like to discuss only more or less large players: those who already have something to show, what to launch, what to surprise. Not all of the companies announced today compete with each other, but many, as you already understand, on the contrary, cooperate closely.

It is cooperation, bold ideas and government support that are the real engine of space progress today. It is private space companies that make it possible to reduce the cost of launching spacecraft; the spacecraft themselves are developing ambitious missions to explore the Moon, Mars and other planets of the solar system.

And we believe that we are now on the threshold of a great future. A future in which space will become close and accessible, and people will finally take their eyes off our tiny planet and look up.

Alpha Centauri will try to be a kind of information telescope for you. Alas, we will not be able to bring the stars closer to you. But we can bring you closer to the stars.

Text: Olga Astafieva | 2015-04-24 | Photo: SU.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll, Steve Paluch, WPPilot, D. Miller (all wikipedia.org) virgingalactic.com, Nasa, SpaceX | 4523

From the beginning of the space race until the late nineties, space was entirely government-owned “territory.” To attract private capital, the risks were too high given the complete uncertainty of future income, and the funds needed to be invested in a truly “cosmic” way at that time. This is in the USA. In the USSR, private capital simply did not exist. It was state companies that took the first steps in space exploration: thanks to their research, prospects for commercial projects began to be determined. However, private companies have an advantage over public companies. The main task of “private traders” is to make a profit: income to the maximum, costs to the minimum. For a private company, it is not enough to simply solve a problem - it is necessary to find an effective solution in terms of profit.

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Unofficial date The birth of American private astronautics can be considered 1996, the year the X-Prize Foundation was created by businessman Peter Diamandis. A little later, he announced a competition to build a reusable spacecraft that could lift space tourists to an altitude of 100 km. (the conventional boundary of the atmosphere) and return them back to Earth safe and sound.

More specifically, the conditions of the competition were as follows: the projects of the participants should not be financially dependent on the government and government organizations, the ship should not only reach 100 km, but also return to Earth intact (without serious damage), there should be at least 3 people on board, and the flight itself must be repeated within two weeks.

By the end of 2003, 26 private companies from 7 countries (including Russia) competed for the main prize of $10 million. As a result, on June 21, 2004, SpaceShipOne launched from the Mojave airfield (California), reached the boundaries of the atmosphere and returned to Earth. And its pilot, Michael Melville, became the first astronaut to receive this title, bypassing state corporations. SpaceShip was designed by the team of legendary US aero engineer Scaled Composites Burt Rutan for Virgin Galactic, a division of the world-famous Virgin corporation.

SpaceShipOne is the first private aircraft for flights above 100 km.

This Burt Rutan device is a combined system consisting of two devices: a high-altitude aircraft and a rocket plane. The eight-meter SpaceShipOne rocket plane with a delta-shaped wing and a cabin for three people is attached under the belly of the White Knight carrier aircraft. The construction of the SpaceShipOne apparatus is based on a hybrid engine that runs on polybutabiene and nitrogen oxide. The cabin is a sealed chamber with the necessary pressure. A large number of double-layer glass windows were made especially for future “space tourists,” each of which individually withstands pressure changes in space and during landing. And the air inside the cabin is created by a special triple system. All this makes it possible to get around inside without spacesuits.

The carrier rises to 14 kilometers, and at this altitude the rocket plane separates from it. About 10 seconds after the spacecraft separates, its single rocket engine fires and SpaceShipOne launches almost vertically at an angle of 84 degrees. The engine remains turned on for about a minute, this time is enough for the device to rise to an altitude of 50 kilometers. He covers the remaining 50 kilometers by inertia. SpaceShipOne was in space for about three minutes, moving along a parabolic trajectory. Before reaching the highest point, it retracts its wings and tail to enter the earth's atmosphere, and the crew gets the opportunity to experience a state of weightlessness.

The most difficult thing in this scheme is the return descent, which takes about 20 minutes. The SpaceShipOne design does not provide any parachutes or additional engines - the device must simply glide down using its wings.

This is exactly what happened on July 21 - with the only difference that there were no tourists in the cabin. Therefore, in order for its creators to receive the $10 million prize, the SpaceShipOne rocket plane had to fly into space a couple more times.

In this way, humanity is one step closer to private space exploration. Richard Branson, the eccentric billionaire owner of Virgin (and by extension, VirginGalactic), has licensed SpaceShipOne for private flights.

Later, in 2010, the updated spaceship for space tourists, SpaceShipTwo, also the brainchild of Sir Branson and designer Rutan, underwent its first flight tests. SpaceShipTwo took to the skies from the same spaceport in Mojave. Company representatives reported that the first flight, which lasted 2 hours and 54 minutes, was successful.

Test flight of the spaceship for space tourists SpaceShipTwo, the brainchild of businessman Richard Branson and designer Burt Rutan.

SpaceShipTwo, like its predecessor SpaceShipOne, was designed by Burt Rutan, owner of Scaled Composites. According to Rutan's idea, the spacecraft is secured between the WhiteKnightTwo fuselages. The carrier aircraft lifts SpaceShipTwo to an altitude of 16 km, after which the device undocks and independently takes off to an altitude of 100-110 km. into suborbital space. The spaceship lands like an ordinary plane. That is, using the same principle of operation as the previous devices of Rutan and Branson in 2004. But the maximum flight altitude increased to 160 kilometers, the time the “tourists” spent in weightlessness increased exactly twice - up to 6 minutes of free flight, and the number of people on board increased to 8 (2 pilots and 6 passengers).

Burt Rutan is often praised for his originality in designing lightweight, powerful, unusual-looking, high-energy-efficient aircraft and has been called the "second true innovator" in aerospace materials technology after German engineer Hugo Junkers, a pioneer in the development of all-metal aircraft. Rutan's most famous creations: the “record-breaking” Voyager, which became the first aircraft to fly around the world without landing or refueling; suborbital spaceplane SpaceShipOne; small homemade airplane Rutan VariEze (1975) - the first airplane to use winglets (wing tips). Improved in 1990 by Louis Gratzer, they reduced fuel consumption by 7%. Such large-scale savings due to modernization turned out to be unprecedented in the history of aviation, unless you count the redesign of the entire aircraft or remotorization.

On October 23, 2010, the company opened the world's first private spaceport, America. Further test flights took place regularly and quite successfully (except for the emergency landing of WhiteKnightTwo due to a damaged landing gear in the fall of 2010). In May 2011, SpaceShipTwo once again demonstrated its maneuverability and stability, performing smooth ascents and descents at altitudes of 10 to 15 kilometers. In September of the same year, the landing system was successfully tested under emergency conditions. On April 30, 2013, the rocket engine of a suborbital ship was tested, in 16 seconds it overcame the supersonic barrier, after which it successfully landed at the departure airport.

Richard Branson said after this flight: “For the first time, we were able to test key components of the system in flight. The current supersonic success opens the way to a very realistic goal – full-fledged space flight.” However, at the end of October 2014, during another test flight, SpaceShipTwo crashed. One pilot was killed, the second was seriously injured. The WhiteKnight plane that lifted SpaceShipTwo into the air returned safely to Earth. It is not yet clear how the incident will affect space tourism, but, according to Branson himself, despite the accident of his ship, he does not intend to give up the idea of ​​tourist space flights. By this time, Virgin Galactic had already sold more than 700 tickets worth $250,000 each.

Accelerator aircraft (carrier) WhiteKnightTwo.

WhiteKnightTwo docked with the SpaceShipTwo suborbital spacecraft.

In addition to Branson and Rutan, who have taken on the responsibilities of space tour operators, many “private owners” in the West are engaged in space exploration. This business turned out to be so tempting that new and sometimes even difficult to implement projects began to appear one after another. Here are some of them.

Golden Spike. The company has announced the commercialization of the Moon, and by the end of this decade, Golden Spike expects to send and return a two-person crew to the Earth's satellite. Such flights may be of interest not only to fans of extreme tourism, but also to states that have not yet had time to “check in” there (that is, everyone except the United States). Of course, there are chances for such a project if we find several potential customers for tours and, accordingly, ensure stable funding for such flights.

Planetary Resources. Much more ambitious than the previous project. Planetary Resources intends to extract minerals from the depths of asteroids. The company expects that the huge reserves of rare earth elements such as platinum, rhodium and iridium on these space objects will more than recoup the costs of sending, mining and delivering the minerals to Earth. In the near future, Planetary Resources plans to launch several telescopes to search for suitable asteroids. This is tentatively scheduled for the 30s. However, this project also had a lot of problems. In addition to the expensive technical base and lengthy design, there are also issues of delivery safety and legal subtleties. The fact is that there is a Treaty on the principles of the activities of states in the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies. It prohibits an individual country from owning a celestial body, but does not stipulate whether a private company can do so. It is not yet clear whether Planetary Resources has the right to privately mine asteroids and to whom it should (if at all) pay taxes. But the company has enough time to sort out these issues.

Sentinel telescope. In the summer of 2012, the private fund B612 began searching for investors for its Sentinel project to launch a telescope into space. Its main task should be the search for asteroids and meteorites that pose a potential danger to the Earth. It is assumed that the infrared telescope, orbiting the Sun, will track 90% of space objects that may approach the Earth. The data collected by the device will have to allow identification dangerous objects 50-100 years before the conditional collision. The data obtained can also be used when planning research missions. Sentinel is scheduled to launch in 2017–2018. The telescope is designed to last at least five and a half years, and the collected data is planned to be made publicly available. Obviously, the main problem, as in most private space projects, is financing.

Mars One. While such state-owned companies as NASA are sending robots to explore Mars and are studying the possibility of flying to it; the Dutch company Mars One is going to begin building a colony on the Red Planet as early as 2023. The essence of the project is as follows. Every two years a team from four people to a permanent place of residence, without the possibility of ever returning to Earth. To support their life, Mars One proposes to use solar energy and local resources, for example, extracting water by melting ice, and obtaining oxygen through electrolysis. About 200 thousand people expressed their desire to be on Mars as part of the Mars One program, and 663 applicants were subsequently selected.

SpaceX. The company, founded by Elon Musk, produces Falcon space rockets and Dragon cargo ships. On September 28, 2008, the fourth launch of the Falcon 1 rocket was successful for the first time. A mass equivalent of payload was delivered into an elliptical orbit at an altitude of 500-700 kilometers. On December 8, 2010, the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship were successfully launched. The ship entered orbit, transmitted telemetry information, left orbit and successfully splashed down into the ocean. SpaceX became the world's first non-governmental organization to launch and successfully return an orbital cargo ship. On August 16, 2011, NASA gives consent to the launch of the Dragon spacecraft on November 30 and its docking with the ISS, which was carried out for the first time on May 25, 2012. The contract concluded between NASA and SpaceX for the delivery of cargo to the ISS provides for 12 Dragon flights to the station. The total value of the agreement is $1.6 billion. On May 30, 2014, Elon Musk unveiled a passenger version of the Dragon spacecraft, called Dragon V2.

Fifth launch of the Falcon 1 rocket. Omelek Island.

Dragon docking with the ISS.

One of the goals of the project is to create reusable launch vehicles, which will significantly reduce the cost of flights. On April 18, 2014, the first stage of the Falcon-9 launch vehicle successfully made a soft landing in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean after the Dragon truck was launched to the ISS and collapsed under the impacts of the waves. Two attempts to land the stage on the ocean platform ended in failure, but progress was obvious - the second time, just a little was not enough for success. Reusing the first stage, the most expensive part of a rocket, could reduce the cost of space launches by 70%.

The Grasshopper VTOL rocket, built to develop and test the technologies SpaceX needs to create reusable rocket systems. At the end of 2013, Grasshopper rose to 744 meters, after which it smoothly, with the precision of a helicopter, landed on the launch pad.

In 2013, SpaceX received permission to build a private launch facility for launch vehicles in Texas. The company plans to carry out 24 launches per year, producing 2 rockets per month.

Google Lunar X-Prize. In 2007, the Google Lunar X-Prize competition started: participants were invited to send to the Moon unmanned vehicle. The robot must make a successful landing and cover several hundred meters along the lunar surface, transmitting video, high-quality panoramic images and related information to Earth. The winner of the competition will receive $20 million. Initially, the end date of the competition was 2012, but during preparation it became clear that not a single team could meet this deadline. As a result, the final was postponed to the end of 2015.

Currently, the main income of non-state companies (with the exception of SpaceX) comes from unmanned space flights: navigation and communications satellites, space research stations. Manned space flight is much more expensive and there are a number of reasons for this.

Firstly, this is the “physics” of flight itself. The satellite weighs much less than the manned vessel, which means it requires less fuel to launch. And the further existence of a satellite is also not as complicated as that of a manned spacecraft. Having “worked out” its purpose, the satellite continues to remain in orbit in an inoperative state. This cannot be done with a manned object. He, or at least his crew, must be returned back to Earth, preferably safe and sound, and this also requires spending fuel.

Secondly, an unmanned object does not need a “delicate” launch, since there are no people on board who are more sensitive to overloads than the instruments. In addition, a manned spacecraft needs greater maneuverability. Overloads should be kept to a minimum for the safety of space tourists. Although they are trained as professionals, they are still amateurs. And the company that sent them on the flight is entirely responsible for their life and health. The situation is the same as with land tourists.

Finally, it is necessary to take into account the risk factor - both technical and commercial. Before moving on to commercial use of the vessel, at least 30 successful test flights are required. And these are huge costs and the image of the company itself. In the event of several failures, the attitude towards a private organization will not change for the better.

However, the main reason for the delay in tourist flights into space should be considered not only financial and technical, but also “organizational and bureaucratic” problems. The US Congress several years ago decided to push the start of commercial space flights. To achieve this, laws were passed to provide for minimal government oversight of flight safety in the nascent industry. Under current law, passengers will receive minimal emergency training and must sign risk acknowledgments. Operators hope to be partially protected from legal liability by giving passengers basic information about the safety of their vehicles.

However, private companies focused on transporting passengers and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must develop appropriate regulations. It is very difficult for specialists to work - they have no precedents to guide them. Therefore, none of the parties involved in the process knows how long the “bureaucratic procedures” will take. We can only hope that all these difficulties can be overcome sooner or later, and space will welcome new guests.