Space's Valley of Death
/The risks in space are socialized while the rewards are privatized, a famous economist argues. We taxpayers bear the risks, and private companies reap the rewards.
Read MoreThe risks in space are socialized while the rewards are privatized, a famous economist argues. We taxpayers bear the risks, and private companies reap the rewards.
Read MoreIt really wasn’t that long ago when the two greatest superpowers were vying to put satellites into space. Now, 50 nations have their own satellites in low Earth orbit. If you’re a Thailand, say, you can call Space Systems/Loral, a Canadian-owned company based in Palo Alto, California, and tell them you want to put a satellite into geostationary orbit for television broadcasting or military communications. You can have the thing in orbit 25,000 miles above Earth within two years.