The present space launch market is worth about £2 billion per year.
Based on a study we recently carried out for the UK Space Agency, spaceplanes are likely to increase this to about £50 billion in 15-20 years by providing lower costs and improved safety.
The initial market will be carrying science payloads and passengers on brief flights up and down to space height, providing two to three minutes in space.
The next market will be launching small satellites, sending supplies to space stations, and pioneering space tourism in orbit.
Space tourism is then likely to grow rapidly and to become the first new market large enough to provide economies of scale and justify an ‘airline’ service to space.
Bristol Spaceplanes is raising £150,000 investment via Crowdcube.
Further details can be found in a recent book, ‘Space Exploration: All That Matters’, by David Ashford (founder of Bristol Spaceplanes), Hodder, July 2013.