Space Enterprise: Beyond NASA

The Challenger disaster, according to this book, signalled the end of NASA’s domination of space - at least for commercial purposes. Gump claims that after two decades of doldrums, the space industry is about to enter the new era of free enterprise. Space Enterprise outlines the parameters for the development and growth of a new space industry fuelled by the competitiveness of private enterprise. This historic shift from government to private leadership in space is evidenced in the many large and small companies already planning private space stations and battling to create their own launches at far lower costs than NASA’s projects. The book begins with an account of the causes of the Challenger failure. Gump aims to demonstrate how NASA’s failure opened the door to space as the next economic frontier.