One of the most interesting and potentially exciting trends in space exploration in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century has been the move towards the privatization and commercial exploitation of space. Privatization refers to the transfer of operations from the government or public agency to private sector management. Several organizations have suggested that many aspects of the U.S. space program's involvement in the International Space Station (ISS) and all Space Transport System (shuttle) operations should be privatized. The commercial exploitation of space has been a key topic of interest since the space program began. Commercialization and privatization of space go hand-in-hand, but the words have somewhat different meanings.

"Commercialization of space" is the term used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce to describe the technology transfer program...