To cheaply go: How falling launch costs fueled a thriving economy in orbit

In space, business is booming.

From joyrides for space tourists to science experiments in microgravity to giant “megaconstellations” of satellites that beam high-speed internet to the ground, a thriving ecosystem of goods and services has emerged in orbit around Earth and beyond. 

The flurry of activity has been driven in recent decades by significantly lower costs to launch into space, the availability of smaller, cheaper components to build satellites and other spacecraft, and the growth of private space companies. It has revamped the orbital landscape, dramatically expanding access to the cosmos and fueling what is projected to grow into a trillion-dollar commercial space industry.