The History of Commercial Suborbital Spaceflight
1. Introduction
Since time immemorial, man has always sought to explore other parts of the world and space has not been an exception. In early times, exploration was often about establishing new trade routes, seeking new resources or gaining a strategic advantage over rivals. In the modern era, space exploration is often about scientific curiosity and national pride. However, there is a new era of space exploration emerging, one in which the primary motivation is commercial gain. This new era is being driven by private companies who see the potential for profit in exploiting the resources of space and providing space-based services to customers on Earth.
One area where private companies are looking to make a profit is in the field of suborbital spaceflight. Suborbital spaceflight involves flying a spacecraft to a height of around 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface before falling back down to Earth. This is in contrast to orbital spaceflight, which involves flying a spacecraft around the Earth at altitudes of several hundred kilometers. The main difference between the two is that suborbital spaceflight does not require the high speeds and therefore the large amounts of fuel that are necessary for orbital flight. This makes suborbital flight much simpler and cheaper than orbital flight and thus more within the reach of private companies.
There are a number of different ways in which private companies are looking to exploit suborbital spaceflight for commercial purposes. One is through so-called “space tourism” whereby wealthy individuals pay large sums of money to experience weightlessness and view the Earth from space. Another is by providing suborbital flights for research scientists who want to conduct experiments in zero gravity or perform observations of the Earth from above its atmosphere. Yet another is by using suborbital vehicles as launch vehicles for small satellites which can then be deployed into orbit around the Earth.
All of these commercial applications of suborbital spaceflight require spacecraft that are specifically designed for this purpose. In the early days of the Space Age, such spacecraft were only developed by governments and were used exclusively for military or scientific purposes. However, in recent years there has been an increase in the number of private companies developing suborbital spacecraft for commercial use. This has led to a race to develop the first commercially successful suborbital spaceship.
The development of commercial suborbital spacecraft is still in its early stages and there have been many false starts and delays. However, there are now a number of different companies making significant progress towards developing operational vehicles. In this essay, we will take a look at some of these companies and their plans for providing suborbital commercial spaceflights in the near future.
2. Early Attempts at Suborbital Commercial Space Shuttles
The history of attempts to develop commercially viable suborbital spaceships can be traced back to the early days of the Space Age in the 1950s. At that time, there were two rival government-funded programs underway to develop ballistic missiles that could be used to deliver nuclear weapons: one in the United States and one in the Soviet Union. Both programs made significant progress and it quickly became apparent that it would not be long before either side had missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons anywhere on Earth.
In response to this threat, both sides began work on anti-ballistic missile systems that could intercept and destroy incoming missiles before they reached their targets. However, it soon became apparent that such systems would be very expensive and would likely never be 100% effective. As a result, the two sides began looking for alternative ways to deter a nuclear attack.
One of the ideas that was proposed was to develop a space-based platform from which nuclear weapons could be launched against an attacker. This would have the advantage of being able to launch a nuclear strike without warning and thus would be a very effective deterrent. However, the technology of the time was not yet advanced enough to make such a system possible.
In the meantime, both sides continued work on their ballistic missile programs and it was not long before they had missiles that were capable of reaching space. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit around the Earth. This achievement proved that it was now possible to place objects in space and led to a rapid increase in investment in space technology by both sides.
In 1958, the United States created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and charged it with the task of carrying out American space research and development. One of NASA’s first tasks was to develop a human-rated spacecraft that could be used to place astronauts into orbit around the Earth. This spacecraft became known as Project Mercury and it made its first successful orbital flight in 1962 with astronaut John Glenn aboard.
While NASA was working on Project Mercury, a number of private companies were also trying to develop their own human-rated spacecraft. One of these companies was Space Technologies Laboratories (STL), which was founded by Aerojet Rocketdyne founder AJ Eggeling in 1960. STL’s primary focus was on developing rocket engines and it soon became apparent that their experience in this area could be used to develop a small spacecraft capable of carrying a single astronaut into orbit.
In 1961, STL began work on a project that would become known as Dyna-Soar (Dynamic Soaring). The goal of this project was to develop a reusable spacecraft that could take off from a conventional runway like an airplane and then fly into orbit using rocket propulsion. The spacecraft would then reenter the atmosphere and land on a runway like an airplane.
Dyna-Soar was initially designed as a military project but it soon became clear that there were also potential civilian applications for such a vehicle. In 1963, STL began working on a version of Dyna-Soar that would be specifically designed for carrying astronauts into orbit for scientific research missions. This version of Dyna-Soar became known as Booster Laboratory (BL).
Unfortunately, both Dyna-Soar and BL ran into technical problems and delays and neither project ever managed to get beyond the prototype stage. However, STL did successfully launch two suborbital test flights of Dyna-Soar in 1963 before the project was cancelled. These flights proved that it was possible for a reusable spacecraft to take off from a runway, fly into space and then return back to Earth. They also demonstrated that such a vehicle could be used to carry passengers as well as cargo.
STL wasn’t the only company working on reusable spacecraft in the early 1960s. In 1962, aerospace engineer Robert Truax founded Sea Launch Company (SLC) with the goal of developing a sea-based launch platform for reusable spacecraft. SLC’s first project was called the Sea Lion and it was designed to take off from a submerged submarine, fly into space and then return back to the submarine.
Unfortunately, the Sea Lion never progressed beyond the preliminary design stage but Truax didn’t give up on his dream of developing a sea-based launch platform. In 1966, he founded a new company called Dyna-Soar Marine Systems (DSMS) and began work on a new project called the Aqua Soar. The Aqua Soar was very similar to the Sea Lion but it was designed to take off from a floating platform instead of a submarine.
DSMS made significant progress on the Aqua Soar but the project ran into financial problems in 1968 and was eventually cancelled. However, the company did manage to launch a series of suborbital test flights of the Aqua Soar in 1967 and 1968. These flights proved that it was possible for a reusable spacecraft to take off from and land on a floating platform in the ocean.
While STL, SLC and DSMS were all working on reusable spacecraft in the early 1960s, they were not the only companies interested in this area. In 1963, aerospace engineer Alan Bean founded Space Industries Incorporated (SII) with the goal of developing a fully reusable spacecraft. SII’s first project was called Project 2018 and it was designed to take off from a runway, fly into space and then return back to Earth.
Project 2018 made significant progress but it ran into financial difficulties in 1965 and was eventually cancelled. However, SII did manage to launch two suborbital test flights of the spacecraft in 1964 and 1965. These flights proved that it was possible for a reusable spacecraft to take off from a runway and land back on it after flying into space.
In 1967, SII was acquired by LTV Missiles and Electronics Group (LTV-MEG) and Bean continued work on developing reusable spacecraft within this company. LTV-MEG’s first project was called the Orbiting Vehicle (OV). The OV was designed to take off from a runway, fly into space and then return back to Earth.
The OV made significant progress but it ran into technical difficulties and delays. As a result, LTV-MEG decided to cancel the project in 1971. However, Bean was determined to continue work on developing reusable spacecraft and he left LTV-MEG to join Grumman Aerospace Corporation in 1972.
At Grumman, Bean worked on a number of different projects including the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) that was used by astronauts on the Apollo Moon landing missions. However, his primary focus was on developing a fully reusable spacecraft that could take off and land like an airplane. This spacecraft became known as the Shuttle Enterprise (not to be confused with NASA’s Space Shuttle).
The Shuttle Enterprise made its maiden flight in 1977 but it never flew into space as it was only designed for atmospheric test flights. Despite this, the Enterprise proved that it was possible for a Winged Reusable Spacecraft (WRS) to take off and land like an airplane. The success of the Enterprise led NASA to commission Grumman to develop a space-rated version of the shuttle that could be used for carrying astronauts and cargo into orbit around Earth. This spacecraft became known as the Space Shuttle Enterprise (not to be confused