一場(chǎng)座談會(huì)上，專家們表示，新興的太空探索商機(jī)正在取得進(jìn)展，但這個(gè)市場(chǎng)領(lǐng)域要邁向成熟，還有好長(zhǎng)一段路要走。據(jù)了解，現(xiàn)在有私人企業(yè)積極投入補(bǔ)給國(guó)際太空站(International Space Station，ISS)的任務(wù)，而且成本只是以往美國(guó)政府提供之服務(wù)的一小部分；接下來(lái)的重要里程碑則是美國(guó)太空總署(NASA)的Orion載人航天飛機(jī)招標(biāo)案。 NASA 阿姆斯研究中心(Ames Research Center)總監(jiān)Simon "Pete" Worden，在日前舉行的New Space研討會(huì)上，談到ISS補(bǔ)給任務(wù)時(shí)表示：“這類業(yè)務(wù)發(fā)展順利，太空經(jīng)濟(jì)正在興起，而我們政府單位必須要習(xí)慣的事實(shí)是，我們將不再是一切只靠自己?！? 他指出，新創(chuàng)公司如來(lái)自美國(guó)硅谷的Moon Express，正與密歇根大學(xué)(University of Michigan)合作開(kāi)發(fā)納米級(jí)衛(wèi)星(nano-satellites)，并在眾籌網(wǎng)站Kickstarter募集資金；此外還有來(lái)自以色列與中國(guó)上海的廠商投入太空相關(guān)技術(shù)。“你應(yīng)該不會(huì)認(rèn)為立陶宛是太空強(qiáng)國(guó)，但他們已經(jīng)發(fā)射了一些衛(wèi)星，我不久前才見(jiàn)過(guò)該國(guó)總理；”Worden表示：“我最近還拜訪了約旦；全世界各地都有頂尖的太空技術(shù)專家?！? 全美大學(xué)太空研究聯(lián)合會(huì)(Universities Space Research Association)空軍計(jì)劃總監(jiān)Daniel Mosqueda則表示，美國(guó)空軍(US Air Force)最近正在評(píng)估將獵鷹(Falcon)火箭商業(yè)化：“我不能提到某些正在與我們合作的公司名稱，因?yàn)槠渲杏袔准沂撬饺似髽I(yè)；不過(guò)我們將可把成本從上億美元，節(jié)省到只有幾百萬(wàn)美元。” Mosqueda表示，美國(guó)空軍也打算透過(guò)私人企業(yè)將一些軍用衛(wèi)星發(fā)射到太空：“這在過(guò)去是不曾發(fā)生過(guò)的，但現(xiàn)在有可能了?！彼⒅赋?，政府削減太空計(jì)劃相關(guān)預(yù)算其實(shí)是件好事：“這迫使我們厘清該做的事情，而且現(xiàn)在我們正在更密切搜尋較低成本的火箭發(fā)射與運(yùn)送系統(tǒng)?！? 商業(yè)太空飛行基金會(huì)(Commercial Spaceflight Federation)主席Michael Lopez-Alegria指出，太空活動(dòng)商業(yè)化已經(jīng)走了很長(zhǎng)的一段路，因?yàn)閰⑴c者在過(guò)去被認(rèn)為是偏執(zhí)狂或是陰謀論者，而總之相關(guān)廠商需要非常著重安全 性：“這類商業(yè)活動(dòng)的成功仍有待證明，而如果會(huì)傷害到人，你不可能會(huì)賺到錢(qián)?！? 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：Space Business Rising, Experts Say，by Rick Merritt {pagination} Space Business Rising, Experts Say Rick Merritt SAN JOSE, Calif. — Emerging efforts to forge a business out of exploring space are making progress, but the sector still has -- literally -- a long way to go, according to a panel of experts. Private sector companies are now actively resupplying the International Space Station at a fraction of the cost of prior government services. The next big milestone will come when NASA awards contracts for its Orion manned space vehicle programs. Speaking of the ISS resupply missions, NASA Ames Research Center director Simon "Pete" Worden said "this stuff is going really well. "The space economy is emerging and we government guys have to get used to the fact we are not going to make it all happen by ourselves," Worden said at the New Space event here. He pointed to startups such as Moon Express in Silicon Valley, work on nano-satellites at the University of Michigan that generated a Kickstarter campaign, and efforts from Tel Aviv to Shanghai. "You don't think of Lithuania as a space power, but they launched some satellites, and I met their prime minister a few weeks ago." Worden said. "I was in Jordon recently. There's great talent around the world." The US Air Force is evaluating commercial Falcon rockets, said Daniel Mosqueda, Director of Air Force programs for the Universities Space Research Association. "I can't discuss some of the companies we're working with because some of that is proprietary, but we are getting launch costs down to millions instead of hundreds of millions," he said. The Air Force also is mulling opportunities to let private companies launch some of its military payloads into space. "That would have never happened in past, but it's happening now," Mosqueda said. Budget cuts in government space programs "were one of the best things that happened -- it forced us to figure out what to do, and now we are looking much more closely at lower-cost launch and delivery systems," he added. The commercial space movement has come a long way since it was perceived as a bunch of "tin-foil-hat-wearing twinkies," said Michael Lopez-Alegria, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. But companies need to be "steel eyed" about safety. "We still have to demonstrate success. You won't make money if you hurt people," he said. In recognition of that fact, Richard Branson said last year that he and his children will be passengers on the first commercial flight to the edge of space by his company, Virgin Galactica, scheduled for later this year.