The new space race is private, and there are winners

Far from the days when the US and Russia competed for space domination, a new space race is brewing: the private company run to own the space market.

According to Forbes, American entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos drive the new race with projects like SpaceX or their personal ventures to travel outside the planet.

A perfect example is the most recent SpaceX achievement. In September, the company launched the most ambitious space mission by a private company in history.

The expedition included the first commercial spacewalk in history. A tech billionaire, Jared Isaacman, paid for part of the trip and tested the company's space suits in a controlled venture out of their capsule.

According to AP News, the three people in the SpaceX capsule only stepped outside the capsule and did not let go of it. However, they traveled farther than any other human after the moon landing.

The launch represented a big win for the company, which already has a consistent relationship with NASA. SpaceX rockets regularly send resources and people to the ISS.

It also happened on top of a significant loss for another company trying to enter the space race: Boeing. Just days before, NASA had to return a Boeing capsule without its crew due to malfunction.

The capsule was Boeing's first attempt at the space market. AP News said the vessel had a leak before departure. Still, the company and NASA finally decided it was safe to launch.

The malfunction got worse as the Starliner latched to the ISS. NASA decided the vessel was unsafe, and future missions must readjust to return the two astronauts it had taken there.

The failure was a brutal hit for the company, going through one of its most challenging years. It had to ground planes due to malfunctions, had a leak scandal, and will now endure a worker strike.

"Boeing is going to need to grapple with the consequences of the failure," Todd Harrison, a space industry veteran, told NPR. He said the company has changed since it signed its contract with NASA a decade ago.

"It's fairly likely Boeing will, within a few weeks or months, conclude that they just need to step back," Mr. Harrison added. The program does not align with their line of business anymore.

If that happens, SpaceX will become the only large corporation in the private space landscape, next to a sea of start-ups. However, Musk's company might have to compete with other large actors.

Photo: SpaceX / Unsplash

Outside the US, where many efforts to innovate space ventures are coming from the private sector, governments are also pouring resources into furthering their presence in space.

China is one of the clearest examples. According to Forbes, the nation's leadership has spoken openly of its intent to become "a great space power." It recently became the first country to send a probe to the dark side of the Moon.

Forbes said Japan is also in the lead, launching a rocket with two separate cargoes with entirely different missions: an X-ray telescope to study the chemistry of the universe and a moon probe to develop landing technologies.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.