By Amruth Chinnappa
Space exploration is no longer the realm of the government. Open access to information, ready-made kits for satellites and a globally supportive environment has allowed private enterprises and universities the opportunity to escape terra firma. There now exists a space race among these institutions in their desire to explore the cosmos.
Escalation
The launch of Falcon by Space X has sensationally captured public attention and projects the larger participant in the space business as a trailblazer, cruising on untrodden orbits and changing the rules of the game, all the while doing it in style. A certain red Tesla roadster comes to mind. The new Public-Private Partnership unfolding between different agencies has given a new breath to the whole endeavour. Overall investments in the sector have grown from around $1.1 billion in 2000-2005 to more than $7.6 billion in 2012-2016. The growth is in part, due to the immense applications and global outreach offered by satellite technology along with the attraction of surpassing uncrossed hurdles.
Space-based startups have developed to either fabricate rocket structures, create propulsion systems, manufacture payloads, instruments which perform the main function of the satellite or have started services to bridge the gap with other industries. Along with difficulties normally faced by startups, there is an added element of uncertainty about spacecraft testing because a real-life environment is not accessible.
A supportive administration
Governments and universities play a big role in facilitating the development of space technology and they provide grants along with testing facilities to up and coming organizations. Warspace Inc. was started at the University of Tsubaki in Ibaraki Prefecture with the goal of producing a palm-sized satellite weighing 1 kilogram with a budget of $4,735 and put into orbit at around $94,700. This was implemented successfully with the launch of their nanosatellite in December 2016. Warspace Inc.’s cost reduction strategy stemmed from its connections with the university. The institution allowed the use of school facilities to test the satellites in return for experimental data. The minimal budget for creating a satellite opens up a path to outer space for small and medium-sized organizations or also wealthy individuals. The applications which are far-reaching and staggering, depend upon the payload of the structure. They can range from generating high-resolution pictures of the world to hosting an extremely fast internet connection across the planet.
The edition of X Prize by Google offered a prize of $20 million to those non-governmental organizations which could best land a rover on the moon. Team Indus from India was one of the five finalists but dropped out later owing to monetary concerns. This, although being a stepping stone to the organization, showcases the trials and tribulations involved in space exploration.
A successful launch
The Silicon Valley and the Mojave Desert have turned out to be hotspots for space startups in the US. Notable among them are companies like Masten Space Systems and Interorbital. Masten Space Systems has been developing a set of vertical takeoff, vertical landing rockets and Interorbital has relied on a manufacturing set-up to grow. The basic space startup goes through a series of steps which could potentially result in a meteoric rise. They choose a niche in the market, obtain seed funding from national and international organizations, source government testing facilities, wait for long plateaus of growth and need to have an eye for business.
“We’re one of that kind of 10-year successes when you grind seven years and then grow and grow in the last three,” says Peter Beck, the CEO of Rocket Labs. “...we carved ourselves a name and reputation for doing complicated pieces of aerospace hardware.” Beck says that a third of the company’s attention is focused on technology, a third on infrastructure and another third to what he refers to as ‘regulatory innovation’. As a company based out of both New Zealand and the US, manoeuvring through the bilateral treaties is of utmost importance for a successful mission. Rocket Labs was successful in launching ‘Electron’ into orbit and several CubeSats into space.
Team India
Cubesats are 10 cm x 10cm x 10 cm structures developed by researchers at Stanford University and California Polytechnic to make satellite technology more accessible. They act as miniaturized satellites to gather data in a cost-effective manner. Startups and colleges in India have embraced the technology and are proving tough competitors to their western counterparts. Astrome is a startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science which aims to provide high-speed broadband internet through their Advanced High Throughput Satellites (HTS). Their first set of satellites are set to be launched in 2019. Another organization is Bellatrix Aerospace, which is a private Research and Development organization specializing in rocket propulsion. It aims to provide affordable access to space with in-space propulsion systems and avionics. Along with companies like Xovian, a number of startups are capitalizing on the space-age boom to start fabrication facilities for satellites. A few of them have turned to innovative methods to create materials necessary for space.
A wonderful byproduct
Development of space-grade technology has led to multiple inventions along the road. NASA has quite a few laurels to its name apart from their rockets. They were responsible for the invention of the treadmill, water filter and the memory foam used today, all of which were devised for astronauts in space. NoPo Nanotechnologies India Private Limited in Bangalore has developed the finest carbon nanotubes in the world. On their own, carbon nanotubes have more than a hundred applications in consumer requirements as well as in space.
The space race has firm believers in university students who have, with the collaboration of ISRO, launched nine satellites into orbit. The colleges involved are government institutions like IITs and also private colleges like PES University and SRM University.
The space race is underway. The clock is ticking. The universe is a satellite away and it takes a large amount of technical know-how, money and finesses to go to space. And is it worth it? Definitely.
Just imagine the view.
Featured Image Source: Visual Hunt
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