[MinorityRepublican]

So what’s the capability of private space industry at this point?

[PIF]

“So what’s the capability of private space industry at this point?

As far as I can tell no so much. They are only incentivized as far as LEO - beyond that they have no tech, nor is there any profit motive do go further on their own. Moreover, going past LOE will require government sanction - their only profit will come from whatever a government contract provides - more than that, private space industry is forbidden by treaty - in other words, no space corporation will be mining anything.

[cripplecreek]

So what’s the capability of private space industry at this point?

It doesn't really matter as long as we cling to the outer space treaty. Private industry will forever be taxi driver and freight haulers to government facilities under government contract.

The problem is that the outer space treaty doesn't allow claims on any natural bodies in space which means anything of value found in space "belongs to the world". Space is a lot like Antarctica in that respect. Nothing but science can be done and even if vast oil reserves are found there no one can tap it and sell it.

As I said before. Obama is the king of half measures. He sounds reasonable when he says he wants private industry to do the lifting but the reality is that there's a huge roadblock in the way of anything more and he knows it.

I would have been impressed if he were to seriously push to disregard our involvement in the outer space treaty.