Project Description

This paper discusses some methods and institutions that will bridge the gap between today’s practical reality of space commerce as satellites and signals and future visions of commercial empires in an outer space populated by thousands of human beings and shared by space enthusiasts. It argues that the present and future of space commerce are not two isolated and foreign concepts, but merely two points on a continuous wave of human progress that already shares a common character and logic. By identifying the underlying structural similarity between the present and future of space commerce, we can envision a way to connect the two concepts in the mind of the public that will enhance the former and prepare the way to reach the latter. The ultimate purpose of establishing a continuum of space commerce in this paper is to argue for the logic and necessity of creating an institution that can act as the stewards of the space industry in any form – a military space service.

Read more: The US Space Guard Ziarnick

This paper was first published as part of Space Commerce, The Inside Story, published by the Aerospace Technology Working Group (ATWG) and included on this site through the courtesy of ATWG, ISU and the individual authors.

For reference, we are also providing the front cover and table of contents.

Other extracts from this publication can be found here.