InterPlanetary Ventures

November 20, 2008

Getting People Into Space, Permanently.
Space Station Proliferation

There has to be more than one destination in LEO for all the people who want to get into space. These stations should include tourist sections with large enclosed areas for low-g recreational activities, labs and shops for academic and industrial research and development, and a 'space dock' for construction, repair or assembly of space vessels. There are many countries that have ambitions to explore the solar system, to go to the moon, many corporations that will want to develop manufacturing operations that benefit from the zero-g environment. These groups will need more than one space station to accomodate their needs. US, China, Russia, India, and now private launches, Space activities have grown far beyond a 'single threaded' operation.

We will need more than just Bigelow Aerospace developing space stations. They are currently the only company developing hardware, but there are other groups with plans for their own space stations. These groups need to move to the next stage and start developing and testing hardware and construction techniques for their stations.

The activities of these stations can be managed by a diverse group of companies. One to run the tourist operation, one to host the R&D clients, and another to run the space dock, maybe another to handle transportation to and from the station.

With the proliferation of space stations comes the opportunity for people in space to travel from one station to another, which will require the development of space to space transportation, a business that can be run from one of the space stations. Space vehicles that don't have to endure the stress of landing on planets will be easier to construct and maintain, especially if each space station has it's own space dock with skilled technicians and maintenance and repair facilities.

The creation of a thriving orbital community that can support both the launch industry to get people into space, and provide services to interplanetary and cislunar expeditions is the first phase for getting people into space to stay, permanently.