This page used to be called "FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about Commercial Space" but the AIAA Commercial Space Group recently decided to open up the question of how to define the term "Commercial Space" and provide a discussion of different perspectives that accompany this topic.
We'll try to structure this page into sections as follows:
- Definitions and Discussions of the Term "Commercial Space"
- Definitions and Discussions of Related Terms
As the discussion matures and develops, we can add additional structure to encompass other ideas and topics as necessary.
Definitions and Discussions of the Term "Commercial Space"
1. Proposed by Mike Mealling
- The term "Commercial Space" means thinking about space the same way we think about other industries. It is a place with resources and risks that business can take advantage to create a profit while providing goods and services to customers, which may or may not be a government.
- It is real. The commercial satellite communications business has been doing it for years. There are other potential markets that are considered promising enough for newspace companies to begin attracting early-stage financing. People are actually starting to attract real financing and build real hardware.
- It is legal. The legal environment for commercial launches and sattelite operations is well understood. But as with all new commercial markets there are some legal questions still to be answered such as liability, property rights, etc.
2. Proposed by Mike Beavin
3. Proposed by Ken Davidian
Definitions and Discussions of Related Terms
NewSpace