Henry Ford moment
The goal of these three German startups is to finally assemble a fleet of 20 to 40 partially reusable rockets to ensure dozens of launches per year.
Subcontractors in the automotive industry will provide rocket engine parts, and many of them hope to diversify internal combustion engine vehicles.
“We want to create a Henry Ford moment for space travel,” Spurman said of the American industrialist who revolutionized automobile production in the early 20th century.
However, Germany is far from the only country focusing on this lucrative market. SpaceX has already cooperated with NASA to put microsatellites into orbit, and American competitor Rocket Lab is one of the pioneers of commercial alien flight.
China is also very active in this field, and Europe has six important projects, including Spain and the United Kingdom.
“The reliability of different economic models will be the core issue in the next three to five years,” said Carla Filotico of SpaceTec, a consultant for the German aerospace industry.
She added that the “integration of the industry” may put some companies on hold.
