As private take-over of space travel has meant that in the West space flight continues, then fine. The problem before when the USA government ran the process activity revolved around the nuclear competition between USSR and them. When the USSR collapsed, the competition collapsed. It has been picked up by other countries but without the same intensity. Certainly, exploration of the universe continued.

New motivations, new drives were required and thankfully private enterprise has provided these.

That will always be funded by the government.

I agree and support Sir Hassan Izzeddin Sarsak

Thanks and kind regards.

Hassan Izzeddin Sarsak

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it very much! Best regards.

Stanley Wilkin ,

I appreciate your detailed and informative answer. Yes, it has been quite some time since I have read anything about space exploration by the USSR. I recall that China has made at least one launch, to the hidden side of the Moon. The U.S. launch to Mars seems a good sign that maybe international competition, i.e., the so-called "space race" was not the motivating factor. The space program continues, regardless of "competition," in accordance with an agenda that is geared to our increasing awareness, exacerbated by Global Warming, that, one day, our Sun is going to be at our doorstep. . . .

Ronald Gomeseria ,

It is good to have your answer! Thank you very much! Best regards.

You are most welcome, Madam Nancy Ann Watanabe

Kind regards and stay safe.

Whether gov or private, what really matters is that mankind should reap the benefits from the cumulative experiences of space explorations. Because at some point in the future living conditions on earth might deteriorate due to pollution or global warming or war or cosmic phenomenon, and then all these experiences will provide us with alternatives to move out and colonize other worlds.

Ranjan Parekh ,

I appreciate your answers and I agree with you about the necessity of preparing for the future! Thank you very much. Very best regards.

Dear Nancy:

I believe that mankind should try to learn from its own experiences. Given the current world situation and the fact that we do not even know how we think - it would probably be wise if we first tried to solve these problems - instead of trying to escape from them into a space that is for the most part a product of our own projections - and very imaginative ones.

In that vein man is forced to start from the very beginning - and from the insight that cognition is a very private endeavour.

I have in fact been on my way trying to rise consensus on that matter by reviving Aritstotle's ideas - in an approach called the Subject Oriented Approach (SOA) - but it is hard because this overcomplexifictaed tool called philosophy is as if designed for lying. Albeit mankind has grown so accustomed to this devastating habit , which tacitly goes on in the subconscious region, that it cannot even understand it. Even if Sigmund Freud made this very evindent more than 100 years ago - and moreover the artists has felt it for millennia!

I am intuitively skeptical about turning control of such enterprises over to "big money." This may not be entirely what has happened yet, but it seems to be where space exploration is going. We need a wider social debate, slow and irritating as that may be, how the field should proceed. Projects that exist mostly for the self-aggrandizement of individuals are not often of most benefit to humanity as a whole.

Arne Kjellman ,

Thank you very much for expressing your viewpoint!

With my best regards and wishes.

Alfred Kracher ,

I am grateful for your well thought out perspective.

I agree with your statement that "We need a wider social debate."

Thank you very much for your kind attention.

The unique goal of private companies is to make money whatever it costs for the humankind and the environment. We just have to look at what happens around us. So, I do not support the exploration of space by private companies.

Michel Dobrijevic ,

Thank you for your answer! I tend to agree that government entities are motivated differently in launching exploratory missions into space than are private business oriented companies.

With my best regards.

Since SpaceX evidently does not have any Research Gate members who can differentiate it from any other private space exploration company, I searched on the Internet to see what their mission is. I am pleasantly surprised to see that SpaceX has well-defined goals that may be seen to transcend mere profit:

"

SPACEX MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT ANALYSIS

SpaceX’s mission statement is “The Company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.” The statement spells out the purpose of the company. In fact, it also shows the ultimate impact SpaceX strives to have on humanity in general. The following points relate to the SpaceX mission statement:

INTRODUCTION

SpaceX is probably one of the most famed companies whose mission and vision statements are all about innovations and the leadership features that characterize the firm. The practices at SpaceX ever since the company was founded in 2002 by Ellon Musk, who also doubles as its only C.E.O have demonstrated how serious the company takes its influential role in the technological niche and the place of the human race in the future.

Essentially, the phrasing of the mission statement shows how the company looks to have its presence felt by everyone who comes in contact with it. It particularly focuses on the life beyond earth through well-structured and visualized strategies. There is no doubt SpaceX’s mission statement is a reflection of what one would expect in a corporate mission statement of any firm, which is all about how the management would drive the company and the steps they would take to realize the goals and objectives.

Although SpaceX has not defined its vision statement on its website, the history and the ever prominent fame the company is known for tells a lot about its mission. This is a company that is all out to show its leadership might in enabling the human race to conquer the universe. It is something that agrees with a deeper understanding of the concept of a vision statement, which reveals where the company wants to be in the future. In this case, SpaceX states it clearly that it looks at life beyond earth.

The quest of SpaceX is further boosted by its core values. The company considers these including the innovating mindset and being a risk-taker as the driving force that has so far seen the company into fruition. Certainly, they have been instrumental, even in the eminence depicted in the mission and vision statement of this company.

VISION STATEMENT

SpaceX’s vision statement is “to advance the future.” This is, however, not the official vision statement but rather an implied one based on the primary objectives and developmental trend of the company. Essentially, this statement talks about the leadership position assumed by SpaceX in everything it does. It relates to the following components:

CORE VALUES

SpaceX core values comprise “innovative, being a risk-taker, inclusivity, and diversity.” These are the common values that anyone can pick out from the practices of SpaceX. They are central in the overall performance of the company and its constant success streak.

An analysis of these values proves beyond doubt that SpaceX is a company built on a culture of innovation. Even the recruiting strategy of the company looks to bring the most innovative experts on board to advance its technological prowess through new designs. They do this by taking calculated risks as a team when it comes to thinking beyond the norm to come up with transformative ideas to keep the many missions of the company alive. The ability of SpaceX to excel is pegged on the fact that the company highly rates being inclusive and most of all being diverse. It does this by recruiting creative minds from across the globe, something that has given the company a global outlook too.

SLOGAN

SpaceX slogan is: Space Exploration Technologies

REFERENCES

• Alegre, I., Berbegal-Mirabent, J., Guerrero, A., & Mas-Machuca, M. (2018). The real mission of the mission statement: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(4), 456-473.
• Bjelde, B., Capozzoli, P., & Shotwell, G. (2008). The SpaceX Falcon 1 Launch Vehicle Flight 3 Results, Future Developments, and Falcon 9 Evolution. Space Exploration Technologies.
• Church, E. C. (2016). Vision statement.
• Fitch, P. (2017). The Value of Vision. The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 70(6), 472.
• Foreman, V. L., Siddiqi, A., & De Weck, O. (2017). Large satellite constellation orbital debris impacts: case studies of OneWeb and SpaceX proposals. In AIAA Space and Astronautics Forum and Exposition (p. 5200).
• Gordon, G. (2017). Communication, Vision, and Mission. In Leadership through Trust (pp. 63-69). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
• Hernandez, B., Prina, M., & Piatrovich, S. (2011, January). SpaceX dragon air circulation system. In 41st International Conference on Environmental Systems (p. 5242).
• Kopaneva, I., & Sias, P. M. (2015). Lost in translation: Employee and organizational constructions of mission and vision. Management Communication Quarterly, 29(3), 358-384.
• MUSK, E. (2012). SpaceX and the future of space exploration. Lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society, 16.
• Ogbari, M. E., EGBERIPOU, R., Ajagbe, A. M., Oke, A. O., & Ologbo, A. C. (2016). Accomplishments of organization mission through appropriate implementation of strategies. Sci. Int. (Lahore), 28(2), 1719-1731.
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• SpaceX – About.
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• [End of this article.]

Dear Nancy and Michel:

Just consider that man is merely an organization - or a company if you like.

So, to my mind - Michel unveils the evil man - or shall we say remove the veil of Maya.

So trying to flee from Gaya when we are approaching its destruction maximizes human cowardice - and de facto provides undeniable practical evidence of what we are doing.

Dear Arne Kjellman ,

I appreciate your answer! If I have understood you correctly - if not the letter, possibly the spirit - any and all efforts to advance the life of humanity and to perpetuate our knowledge and understanding of Mother Earth through our collective exploration of astrophysical space ought to be applauded. In other words, a broad overview beyond our own time and place blurs the divisive lines that may impede our human enterprise to ensure the survival of Earthlings.

By the way, most predictions that I have seen, which are not very numerous, suggest that Earth will not be destroyed, but it will be becoming VERY HOT.

Best regards,

Nancy Ann Watanabe

HOT like HELL! So, the sagas - which are just memory tools (Lullus) have something to tell us - and had many many years ago. It's just about an ability to interpret like Soren Kierkegaard or when reading Barrabbas.

Arne Kjellman ,

Evidently you do not subscribe to the view depicted by Dante Alighieri of The Inferno in his The Divine Comedy, where Judas Iscariot is positioned in the innermost circle, which is the coldest circle. Moreover, the beautiful Beatrice leads Dante the Pilgrim in Paradise, upward toward the blue sky. Of course, Dante belongs to the medieval period, which is before the Age of Reason; or the Enlightenment, and thus, is less interested in chemistry and physics, i.e., science, than he is in religious matters. Dante is located at the threshold of the Renaissance in the Western World, when kings and queens were about to fund the voyages of discovery, starting with Spain and Portugal. Mercantilism followed soon thereafter. Of course, China sent fleets of merchant ships to the Indian Ocean.

Space exploration funded by national governments were successful in the last half century. Overwhelming majority of the successfull programs were carried out by NASA, (USA), RKA-Rosszkozmosz, (Russia), CNSA, (China), JAXA (and previous NADA and ISAS, Japan), etc. all are national governmental organizations. Only in the last years emerged the successful Elon Musk’s SpaceX industry to a level, which may play important role in the internatioanl space research.

The key word is "exploration". Both public and private sectors must be engaged in outer space activity in order to make it sustainable, tapping into the resources, skills, innovation and drive of the private sector. But some activities are beyond the reach of market economies. In particular, exploration and other scientific endeavors do not provide a return on investment, even though exploration has a high public policy value. That is why governments must lead the way in exploration, but must integrate the private sector as much and as quickly as possible. For more information, including a Model Implementation Agreement for the Moon Treaty that will support all private activity while protecting essential public policies, please go to www.spacetreaty.org.