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THE FUTURE OF COMMERCIAL SPACEJoseph N. Pelton, Former Dean, International Space University

Author of Licence to Orbit: The Future of Commercial Space Travel

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The Vision

• The Development of “Commercial Space” is much more than just “Space Commerce”.

• NASA Ames Director Pete Worden has said we are pursuing the destiny of humankind to develop a “solar system-based society”. Eric Burgess has said it is vision of what humanity will be a billion years from now.

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Commercial Space Today

• Total Revenues from Commercial Space are about $230 Billion-almost a Quarter of a Trillion $$.

• This is dominated by satellite communications (Direct Broadcast, Mobile & Fixed Services ($130 billion/yr.)

• Military space, launch services & ground stations

• Space Navigation ($8 billion/yr and growing)

• Remote sensing & Earth Observation ($2 billion/yr)

• Space tourism (today in the noise level)

• Solar Power (still in infancy)

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Echostar XIV-State of the Art DBS

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5 SKYTERRA-Mobile Satellite with ATC

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Solar Power Satellites

• Evolved a great deal from massive platforms in space to much simpler concepts.

• Most concepts now based on film-like concentrators.

• Solaren plans to over commercial product to electric power systems as of 2016

• Japan, Canada and now even Indonesia plan to deploy systems within 5 to 6 years.

Early concept of Massive Platform

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More Recent Inflatable Collectors

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Solaren Concept-3 Components

• 1. Large Scale Film Reflector or concentrator • 2. High Performance Photo Voltaic Solar Cells• 3. Transmitter of Energy to Earth as RF

Transmission back to huge receiving antenna• Issues: (i) Cost efficiency (ii) receiver site

design and potential reflectivity back to space (i.e. bad for comsats), (iii) Registration and International Coordination.

NASA Design Concept

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Prospects For The Future

• Space Transportation-Space Adventures-Commercial Space Stations. (500 people have gone into space today. Thousands within the next few years starting in 2011?)

• Solar Power Satellites The sun provides us with 10,000 times more energy than we are currently using . Huge potential for the future.

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SPACE ADVENTURES Inc.

• 1. Weightless experience (Parabolics-727)

• 2. Flight to the edge of space

• 3. G-Force training and simulations

• 4. Sub-orbital space flight in Foxbat

• 5. Visit to the International Space Station.

• Possibly may offer spacewalks or trip around the Moon.

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JP Aerospace: Ascender Balloon

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