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Nebex CEO: NASA wants a commercial space economy. Here’s how it can enable one
Nebex CEO argues NASA should use its procurement power to help build a commercial space economy.
Key points
- SpaceX stopped accepting new rideshare bookings beyond late 2028 in July.
- Vulcan has been grounded since February and New Glenn since April, according to the article.
- Stoke Space raised $1 billion and is targeting an initial launch in 2027.
Why it matters. The launch squeeze could leave new space startups relying on alternatives that remain largely unproven, and the writer argues the market needs nurturing.
Nebex CEO writes that SpaceX stopped accepting new rideshare bookings beyond late 2028 in July, squeezing startups built on cheap rides to orbit. In October, NASA issued a request for proposals for commercial space stations to succeed the ISS, which is soon to be de-orbited. Citing the Space Foundation, he says governments spent roughly $141 billion last year, and NASA has the procurement leverage to nurture that market without footing the bill alone.
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Nebex CEO: NASA wants a commercial space economy. Here’s how it can enable one
NASA has the leverage to build a real space market. In July, SpaceX stopped accepting new rideshare bookings beyond late 2028. In October, NASA released its request for proposals for commercial space stations to succeed the soon-to-be de-orbited International Space Station (ISS). Taken together, the ISS’s retirement and the squeeze on launch availability creates a real problem for many “new space” startups that built their venture business plans on continued cheap rides to orbit. While alternatives to SpaceX exist, they are limited and spotty: Rocket Lab’s Electron offers dedicated small-satellite launches, while ULA’s Vulcan and Blue Origin’s New Glenn serve larger payloads (although both are temporarily grounded: Vulcan since February and New Glenn since April). New competitors are advancing too: Isar Aerospace secured a launch contract with Planet , Stoke Space raised $1 billion and is targeting an initial launch in 2027 , Rocket Lab’s larger Neutron rocket is expected to debut in 2027 as well , and Skyroot had a successful launch on its first attempt . But still, most, if not all, of these options remain unproven. Starship’s first orbital flight in September may eventually ease the overall launch bottleneck, but it’s not certain that the increased capacity will be made available to the third parties that are depending on it. For a startup space economy that scaled around fr.