Do “Commercial” Space Companies Exist?

Abstract

Abstract The goal of this article is to define “commercial activities” and “space industry actors” of the global space community as a foundation for clear communications (important for informal discussions and formal agreements alike) and academic studies. To facilitate better communications through clear definition of the word “commercial,” two dimensions of “commercial activities” are identified to include the level of subjugation to market forces and independence from government control, based on multiple U.S. government documents and using a qualitative analysis method. The practical result of the analysis presented here identifies the proper response to the question “Is this company commercial?” as “This is a private (or hybrid, or public) firm engaged in commercial activities.” To clearly define the set of actors included in academic analyses of different space industries, a culturally neutral definition of “space industry actors” is also identified using an established glossary of organizational fo...