Private companies key to future space travel

By: Sam Wilmeth

In the last few years, I have gone from looking at the moon through my first telescope to seeing hundreds of photos coming from the James Webb Space Telescope of stars and galaxies more distant than what I could have imagined possible. 

While Mars might not make it on the list of incredible celestial objects, at least when distance is concerned, it should not be lost on us that the first person to step foot on Mars and travel further than any other human in history is likely alive today. 

Many of us want to make it to space and feel first hand what the dawn of the space age is like. Organizations such as NASA hope that manned missions will begin within the coming decades, and private companies like SpaceX have made it their goal to build a civilization on Mars.

And I can’t wait.

​A mission to Mars will require the work of top engineers and astronauts to accomplish this ambitious goal. However, people may have other options if they want to experience the thrill of space exploration. The recent Polaris Dawn mission, which took its crew further than people have gone since the moon landings, sheds light on a future where commercial spaceflight will be rolled out for civilians to experience.

Polaris Dawn was a private spaceflight mission operated by SpaceX, a private spacecraft manufacturing and logistics company. The crew consisted of two SpaceX employees, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, as well as Scott Poteet and Jared Isaacman. While in orbit around Earth, the crew exited the spacecraft and took the historical first commercial spacewalk. In addition to other scientific experiments conducted during the Polaris Dawn mission, the spacewalk helped scientists study key components of commercial spaceflight like radiation exposure.

"It is critical for the commercial industry to have the tools and experience for spacewalk operations and the suit we tested is just the first step in that journey," said Isaacman in a post to X after his return. “As a crew, we have always believed in humanity's destiny among the stars—a belief that’s only been reinforced by our recent journey.”

Polaris Dawn did more than just help make space travel more safe and accessible—it helped show people the growing importance of private companies in the space industry. Private companies like SpaceX are pursuing their own goals for commercial space missions that will help develop the industry and make it more widespread.

A future with commercial space travel will not just serve as a fun (but not affordable, for the time being) excursion, but will also revitalize the industry. SpaceX is already looking to hire software engineers and many other people for IT jobs to manage the increasingly complicated missions. Students interested in space travel are becoming just as likely to find a job working for a private company instead of government agencies like NASA.

The space industry still has years to go for developing methods of commercial space exploration, and much longer to make it an affordable option. Despite the challenges companies will face in the coming years, the end results will bring a new age of space travel for astronauts and civilians alike.