"Private" corporation's space age

Sending things to the space is an extremely expensive business (around 8000$/Kg), and one of the reasons maybe the fact that economies of scale don't apply. As more and more activity takes place in low Earth orbit, the costs tend to decrease, but the reduction is slow if there is no competition between private corporations.

Next February the 7th an amazing milestone is going to be achieved; the first ever private spaceship is going to be launched to the International Space Station. It is an unmanned vehicle that will bring a few supplies to our fellow humans whose residence lays in the boundaries of our home Earth. The mission and type of vehicle brings to mind the European Space Agency's ETV missions. Once more our American fellows are much more dynamic and innovative (and probably cheaper). The unmanned Dragon capsule has been designed and built by SpaceX, and will be launched by a Falcon 9 booster, also designed and built by SpaceX, from Cape Canaveral space center in Florida.

I truly believe that paving the way for private capital and profit based research and engineering into the space industry will accelerate its development, and that we will see much more activity our there in the near future than we are used to. Now, these things don't come without risks.Thus, if a company is granted permission to mine the moon, control mechanisms have to be put in place, otherwise we as humans will end up destroying yet another celestial object.

Exciting times ahead of us!!!!