Billionaires May be the Future of Space Travel

Privately funded space ventures are altering the industry … and, maybe, the final frontier itself.

On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."

Only a few men and women have ever made the voyage into space. Now, with government funding for space exploration lacking, those with a surplus of funds on Earth, billionaires like Elon Musk and Richard Branso,n are leading the way to space.

Only a few men and women have ever made the voyage into space. Now, with government funding for space exploration lacking, those with a surplus of funds on Earth, billionaires like Elon Musk and Richard Branso,n are leading the way to space.

On this episode of The E.R., we talk with FP reporter Emily Tamkin and author and journalist Joe Pappalardo. His new book, Spaceport Earth, tackles the ever-changing 21st-century space industry, and what privately funded projects like Elon Musk’s SpaceX mean for the future of space travel.  At the forefront of this reinvigorated desire to search the “final frontier” are industrial titans, engineers, billionaires, airmen, and public officials, each vying for their own opportunity to reshape the future of space travel.

Emily Tamkin is a reporter for Foreign Policy, covering embassies and diplomats. Her recently-published piece, “Billionaires May Be the Future of Space Policy. Here’s What They Want,” looks at some of the billionaires investing in space, and how their money might impact geopolitics here on Earth. Follow her on Twitter: @emilyctamkin

Pappalardo is an aerospace author and journalist based in Dallas. He’s worked as an editor for the Dallas Observer and is a contributing editor for Popular Mechanics. His work has also appeared in Smithsonian Air & Space, Esquire.com, Time, and MentalFloss.com. Follow him on Twitter: @pappalardojoe

Sharon Weinberger is FP’s executive editor for news. She is the author of “The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World.” Follow her on Twitter at: @weinbergersa.

Tune in to FP’s The E.R. podcast on iTunes.

Tag: Space

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