Space Commercialization: Platforms and Processing (Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics)

space commercialization activities are mainly in the areas of telecommunication and Earth observation. The commercial use of space for microgravity processing remains elusive. The reasons for this are the knowledge base for microgravity processing is inadequate and flight opportunities and hardware are too expensive, lengthy, and risky to provide a reasonable return on investment. Furthermore, previous unrealistic predictions of large benefits from space manufacturing of crystals, biomaterials, and other materials have created a negative image of microgravity opportunities, especially in connection with the justification of manned space flights and the construction of a large space infrastructure. This volume reports on the progress in Space Commercialization activities.