Civilian Space Access

SpaceX is the loudest but not the only player. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, develops the New Glenn rocket and the BE-4 engine. Rocket Lab specializes in small satellite launches from New Zealand. United Launch Alliance serves the US military and NASA with its Atlas and Vulcan rockets.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin offer suborbital tourist flights. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule ferries NASA astronauts to the ISS and has carried private citizens to orbit. In 2021, Inspiration4 became the first all-civilian orbital mission. Space is transitioning from an exclusive government domain to an emerging commercial industry.