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The space exploration and space tourism sector may be the next dot com boom. Space Travel has been getting a lot of private sector love lately, with Google’s lunar challenge and privatization of ISS transportation needs. There are even plans for future moon bases and surveying operations within the next decade. With So many attractive space exploration businesses sprouting up the potential for “YOU” to profit may be just around the corner.

Currently many of the space companies in existence do not offer stock, but as this section of the economy gets more media attention IPO’s may spring up as fast as they did for the dot com’s in the late 1990’s. One successful company may begin offering stock as early as 6 months from now. Space exploration Technologies also known as SpaceX began promises of going public after the successful launch of two falcon 9 launches, we can only assume he meant commercial launches. Today SpaceX boasts 1 successful commercial launch with more to come. The contract with ISS begins in 2010 but will be offering test runs with the falcon 9 at the end of 2009. Keep a lookout for SpaceX’s IPO in the near future, because it may very well be worth your investment.

Virgin Galactic may also be planning on letting some investors get a piece of the action. However, Branson may only be interested in floating the company rather than offering a full blown IPO. Nonetheless if you can get a piece of the company, your sure to be in really good shape because Richard Branson has a knack for success. Hopefully in the near future, private space enterprise will go entirely public, but for now I’ll be waiting on the sidelines just waiting for the opportunity to invest.

For those of you more well funded individuals, you may be interested in venture capital opportunities with Space Angels Network. Space Angels is dedicated to helping new space start ups through coaching, promoting, networking and most of all funding entrepreneurs visions.

Subscribe to my RSS feed at the top of the page and get future updates on the best outer space companies to invest in, along with interesting updates on the new space exploration and space tourism industry.

Imagine one day you look up at the full moon, and instead of seeing a bright surface, you see tiny dark spots. What are these dark spots? Moon settlements. This is all because of the new reality painted by private space business, also known as the newspace movement. Private enterprise just got a new push in the right direction, the retirement of the space shuttle created a problem and COTS may be the answer.

COTS also known as Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a program created by NASA to spur competition and development in the commercial space program. Orbital Sciences and SpaceX are two companies that have received money from COTS and are well on their way to supplying the international space station after the shuttles retirement.

SpaceX has planned missions to ISS all the way up to the year 2015, and will be doing a COT’s demonstration in 2010. SpaceX has already proved that they can launch their falcon into orbit without problems. However they have they have yet to test their Dragon model, that will ferry passengers to the space station. They were given the COTS’ money in order to speed up their research and development to ensure that they can take the space shuttles place.

COTS has caught on not only as a way of decreasing NASA costs, but also is beginning to act as a stimulus plan for the US economy. The Obama administration believes if they can help push a new industry along, it may in just one decade ensure that we are brought out of this recession. It looks like a great idea but will it actually work?

The idea behind COTS as a stimulus plan is that it will create competition in the market place. The competition will create innovation leading to more jobs. Much like the World Wars brought us out of the depression, the newspace proposals will bring us from this recession, through innovation. These Jobs will be created because as more idea’s and technologies are developed, more segments of the industry will be developed. The Solar System is a vast place, and if we can begin to just tap a small portion of it there will be no shortage of jobs as mankind expands to the cosmos.

Think Lost meets Battlestar Galactica (BSG) meets Apollo 13. Well that’s what you get when you watch ABC’s new SciFi TV show: Defying Gravity. From the makers of Desperate Houswives and Greys Anatomy, Defying Gravity strives to bring sex and intrigue into space. I Just hope they take more from BSG’s book than either of those two TV shows for the SciFi community’s sake. Personally Ive been waiting in limbo for some kind of television show reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica, and hopefully this show can fill the void. Defying Gravity Recently Aired at 9PM EDT on Sunday with 2 hours of episode.

Possible Spoilers below

Defying Gravity is essentially a Soap Opera, about a crew that sets out to Explore our Solar System. But there’s a twist! Some invisible entity controls the crews destiny although only the commanders of the expedition know about it. Whether this is a new take on Lost’s time traveling plane crash victims, or BSG’s Biblical Time loop has yet to be revealed. For now we know that problems keep arising and its due to something that lies within module 4.

The Show begins by revealing our Hero, who has been traumatized by a mission to mars. During his mission he was forced to leave 2 crew members to die on the planet. Now he’s training new Astronauts for a trip of a lifetime, a manned Exploration of our Solar System. A love interest is revealed when one of the trainees turns out to be a woman he met at a bar. Now their In Space together along with a Sexy Russian woman who swoons over our Heroes Sexual Prowess, Cue Drama!

Defying Gravity shows a lot of promise, but currently lacks a distinction. I think it will get better as the series progresses and visits to exciting locations around the solar System. For now I’ll just have to get my fix watching the awesome space ship, that looks straight out of the movie Sunshine.

The show is also attempting to bring in more of a rounded audience appealing to a larger female base. You heard me… Girls! A plus for all you SciFi geeks out there (now you’ll have something to talk about on that first date ^^). This is a must See if you enjoyed BattleStar Galactica or Lost

You can Watch Defying Gravity here

The last few years have given rise to a whole new industry, Aimed at Outer Space!  We’ve had some amazing developments in the industry and in the next decade it will only heat up more.  We will have a presence in outer space but it wont be thanks to any one government.  The following is a list of companies that either have proven themselves as a great private space enterprise or show great potential for future outer space Development.

9) Armadillo Aerospace
While this company was a favorite at previous X Prize competitions, they’ve since gone into obscurity. Armadillo Aerospace continues to make the list because it does have very promising LEO capabilities and could still offer a winged answer to space exploration rather than the usual rockets of the day.

8 ) Space Adventures
Space Adventures is responsible for putting the first tourist into space. In 2001 Denis Tito became the first Space Tourist. Space Adventures brokered the launch on a Russian Soyuz Rocket. They currently has plans for returning to the moon and putting even more tourists into space.

7) TeamFredNet
Team Frednet is the most popular team competing in Googles Lunar X prize. While not considered a private company its an open source answer to the space problem. Team Frednets philosophy is the belief that a million peoples input is much better than a few, therefore they use the open source model to come up with great ideas and propel humans into space.

6) Bigelow Aerospace
Bigelow Aerospace is another proven space company, they currently operate Genesis. Genesis is currently orbiting the world. It is part of their plan to produce inflatable habitats, whether on the moon or orbiting earth. Although Bigelow Aerospace doesn’t offer incredible profits, its backed by the real estate giant Robert Bigelow. The Success of Genesis hopes to propel orbiting hotels as a viable commercial enterprise.

5) Xcor Aerospace
Xcor the 2nd company to ever receive a reusable Launch Vehicle mission license is potentially the greatest competitor for Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures and Armadillo Aerospace. Their Lynx model proves to be a major contender for a piece of the tourist pie.

4) Astrobotic
A competitor in Google’s Lunar X Prize challenge, Astrobotic is also a leader in terrestrial unmanned robotic missions to remote locations around the world. They now plan to extend their operations to the moon. Astrobotic has a great business plan for exploration of the moon. With the sale of their survey information Astrobotic proves to be a formidable company in future space exploration. Plus the gotz robots! need I say more!

3) Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites is one of the most innovative aerospace companies in existence. Its founder Burt Rutan is the creator of SpaceShip One, the only non governmental spacecraft to reach earth orbit.

2) Virgin Galactic
Yet another division of Richard Branson’s Virgin Brand, Virgin Galactic proves to be innovative and has the funding to back them up. After buying Burt Rutans Spaceship one model Virgin Galactic, is in position to be the worlds first space liner. Offering the  civilian flights to outer space. Virgin Galactic will be able to offer cheap access to LEO ushering in an era thats come to be known to people in the biz…. as NewSpace.

1) SpaceX
Probably the most well known private space company in the industry. Boasting the first fully privately funded rocket launch, SpaceX is the worlds first space trucking company. SpaceX was awarded the contract to supply the international space station after the discontinuation of the space shuttle in 2010. These guys have a working spaceship and are already making money. Just 1 month ago they sent Razaksat into orbit. Its only a matter of time before their RnD has the ability to surpass that of even NASA.