Investment in Space

Since mankind has gazed at the cosmos, he has viewed space and the cosmos as a place to be conquered. Perhaps this is caused by the fact that Man believes that he must establish Dominion over his environment whether it be the sea or space. Thus after the dawn of the Space Age, Mankind has pushed itself further to expand into space and to go as far as possible. With the feat of landing on the Moon accomplished, Mankind has made great strides. Of course, besides government funding and support, also the support and the funding from the general public and the private enterprise is needed before more bigger accomplishments can be made. However, with the recent developments in the past decade, investment in space by private enterprise has become more commonplace than ever.

One of the most common present opportunities for Investment in Space is the ability to carry rich people to the Earths orbit with a visit to the International Space Station (Space Tourism). In fact, up to now over 5 people who are civilians (and who are rich millionaires) have flown to the outer space to orbit the Earth and to stay in the International Space Station. The reason that these flights are for the rich is the fact that these flights are very costly to maintain. So far, the only available spacecraft for this type of space tourism is the Soyuz Space Craft of the Russians. In addition, another company called Interplanetary Inc. has announced its intentions to send two civilians to the moon for $100 million dollars a seat. Thus, it can be seen that Investment in space is a good opportunity for companies that can take people to outer space.

The second type of Investment in Space is possibly on the making and the operation of various satellites. There are many satellites that encircle our world. Some satellites are Telecommunications Satellites, which are very important for the telecommunication systems of the Earth. Without telecommunication satellites, it would be impossible to use your Cellular phones or satellite phones. In fact even the major backbone of the Internet is carried through satellites and thus Telecommunications Satellites still are one of the most profitable investment opportunities. Of course, some of the satellites are Broadcasting Satellites, which are used for the signal relay of the TV Companies. Thus the production and the maintenance of satellites are always a good investment opportunity.

The third type of Investment Opportunities for the Space Sector is the construction and the operation of Spaceports. One such good example is the Space Port in New Mexico, which is being built to serve as a hub for future space flights by the Private Enterprise. Since the launchings of spacecraft whether they are for space tourism or for satellites are dependent on spaceports; one can see how crucial this investment really is. As the availability of space tourism and the satellite launching sector grows wider with increased demand, the need for spaceports will be almost as much as the demand for airports. Some day it will be common to have spaceports in every country or major city like airports. However, those entrepreneurs and governments which see this opportunity before others will be able to make good money on their investment. The Construction and the Maintenance of Spaceports can be a joint project between various governments and private enterprise. Even individuals can pitch in small contributions for this long term investment. Especially for countries in Africa, it can bring employment and investment opportunities.

As the technology of space exploration advances, more and more opportunities will arise for the investment in space. In the future perhaps investment on space manufacturing facilities will be possible. There are lots of minerals and metals in the outer space and on the Moon and on Mars and in time it will be possible to mine these raw materials and produce things out of Earth.