Space Services Inc. of America and the Birth of Commercial Spaceflight

Article

“Space Services Inc. of America and the Birth of Commercial Spaceflight” by Emily Carney
Published in Quest Volume: 30 #4 (2023)

Abstract

What do a Georgetown University graduate, a Texas entrepreneur, and a former Mercury astronaut have in common? Space Services Inc. of America (SSIoA) brought all three together and showed that these disparate personalities could build—and launch—the world’s first privately funded space vehicle. Like many mid- to late-1970s space stories, the beginnings of SSIoA started with a spark of inspiration by Dr. Gerard K. O’Neill, who is widely regarded as the “father of space settlements” and authored The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space.

Citation

Carney, Emily. “Space Services Inc. of America and the Birth of Commercial Spaceflight.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 30, no. 4 (2023): 23-26.