Transformational Access to Space

The U.S. private sector has once again showed what free market capitalism can do through innovation, at a speed utterly unimaginable for government.

For the third time, American billionaires have achieved breakthroughs in access to space that promise to transform both civilian and military use of that high frontier.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spacecraft and Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 rocket both have taken off and landed vertically. This makes possible reusable platforms for launching passengers and other payloads that can dramatically cut the cost of reliably reaching and using space.

For our military, such breakthroughs could also be transformational. For example, they could provide urgently needed options for addressing a growing challenge: the prospect that enemies like Communist China may be preparing to attack our assets in outer space. Being able to protect and reconstitute them is an urgent national security priority.