The New Space Age

Private spaceflight has reshaped the economics and pace of space exploration:

• Reusable Falcon 9 cut launch costs from $50,000 to under $3,000 per kilogram
• Crew Dragon ended US reliance on Russian Soyuz for ISS crew transport
• Inspiration4 flew the first all-civilian orbital mission in 2021
• Starship aims to carry 100-150 tons to orbit and slash costs further
• Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and others are building a competitive launch industry

This shift from government-only to commercial spaceflight is the biggest change in the industry since the Space Race.