“There is so much new material out in the ether of space reporting that it is refreshing to receive a distinct and realistic assessment of events and themes in the industry. In those regards the Lurio Report nails it every time....an indispensable read.” 

             -- Will Whitehorn, President, Virgin Galactic, 2007-2010

 

“Charles's work has been a great contributor to extending understanding of the developing industry. The Lurio Report is evenhanded and insightful and I always look forward to reading Charles's opinions” 

             -- Gwynne Shotwell, President, SpaceX

 

“No one tracks and understands ‘New Space’ better than Charles Lurio.”

-- Jim Asker, Executive Editor, “Aviation Week & Space Technology”

 

“Charles Lurio is one of the very few observers of the emerging entrepreneurial space industry who has both the inside sources and the technical judgment to identify and evaluate emerging trends.”

 -- Jeffrey K. Greason, President, XCOR Aerospace; Member, Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee

 

Events such as the flight of “SpaceShipOne” and current work on commercial human suborbital/orbital flight systems herald a ‘New Space’ era.  Commercial activities could expand to produce economic benefits in rivalry to the IT/web revolution.

 

The Cold War era ‘moon race’ linked space to a government framework and a public mindset that effectively prohibited developing practical spaceflight abilities for people and cargo.  Only comsat - type space businesses could succeed, since radio signals provide their own transportation to and from orbit. 

 

Practical aviation in the U.S. had advanced because government concentrated its efforts on long-term lab research and “testing the flight envelope” with vehicles designed for that purpose only.  That complemented the private sector’s shorter term investment horizons and ability to develop manifold new markets and the vehicles they required.

 

This balance of public and private strengths could have been applied to spaceflight, but was disrupted by the ‘race.’  An unstated assumption emerged that most spaceflight uniquely required what was essentially a central planning agency.  The result of these factors was that the price of space transportation and related systems stayed high while safety stayed low.  The economic promise of space was severely stunted. 

 

The Lurio Report brings you news in perspective and informed discussion on critical aspects of the emerging ‘New Space’ industry that is starting to break free from these constraints.  It also provides exclusives and background data that you will find nowhere else.

 

 

About Charles Lurio:

 

- Producing informal predecessor newsletters & updates for some 15 years;

- Developed contacts with business, investment and political players and national media.  Observer and participant in the ‘alternate space’ movement for decades;

- Worked independently in supporting the DC-X program in the early ‘90’s through political action and building bridges to the general and aerospace media;

- “Indispensable contributor” (Jeff Greason, CEO, XCOR) to the passage of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, the enabling legislation for the private human suborbital spaceflight industry;

- Undergraduate through Ph.D. degrees, MIT Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.