Space Exploration: The Role for Public-Private Research and Development Partnerships

The emergence of economic growth, sourced with space exploration, will dependcritically upon research and development discoveries that are likely to take place inmany fields of sciences such as astrobiology and life sciences, earth and planetarysciences and aeronautical engineering. Such discoveries will be enhanced by public private partnerships. In this paper, we examine how such partnerships can be structured and how incentives can be aligned between the private firms, the principal governmental agency, NASA, and universities with space exploration programs. The current governance structure of NASA is well established but the possible willingness to engage in such partnerships by private firms requires more detailed investigation. These private firms include aerospace and defense firms; new space-centered firms; new startup ecosystem financed by venture capital; and several other remote sensing companies.