Labor Minister at NASA - Heil warns against the dominance of individual companies in space travel
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) warned against possible dominance of individual companies in the future of space exploration during a visit to the US space agency Nasa. "There should be no dominance of individual companies," Heil said in a dpa-Video interview in Houston. "We are witnessing more and more that large tech corporations are getting involved in space exploration - of course, to make business."
Elon Musk is to retrieve the ISS
The background is that spacefaring countries have been collaborating with private companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX for several years - also to reduce the high costs of space travel. NASA has commissioned SpaceX to retrieve the International Space Station (ISS) from space in 2030. After more than 30 years of operation, the space station is then expected to cease operations.
Heil emphasizes cooperation
From Heil's perspective, cooperation between state and business in this area is important - but only international cooperation between states can provide the necessary balance of public and private interests. "One learns at NASA that the big questions of our time can only be solved in international cooperation." The ISS has been operated by NASA and space agencies from Europe, Canada, Japan, and Russia since 1998.
"Not progress for a few"
The SPD politician does not fundamentally object to companies engaging in this field to make a profit. Heil said, "It's clear that there must be rules in place here." In general, the states must ensure that the progress made, for example through space travel, research, and new technologies, is not progress for a few, but progress for many.
- The dominance of individual companies in the future of space exploration, as warned by German Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, is contrasted with the collaborative efforts of international space agencies and private companies like NASA and SpaceX.
- SpaceX, led by entrepreneur Elon Musk, is set to retrieve the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030, a task commissioned by NASA due to the high costs of space travel and the space station's expected cessation of operations after over 30 years.
- Hubertus Heil emphasizes the importance of international cooperation between states in the field of space exploration, arguing that it is essential to balance public and private interests.
- NASA, along with space agencies from Europe, Canada, Japan, and Russia, has been operating the ISS since 1998, demonstrating the international nature of space travel and research.
- Heil does not fundamentally oppose companies making a profit in space exploration, but stresses the need for regulations to ensure that the progress made through this industry benefits society as a whole.
- The United States of America, with its space agency NASA, and Germany, represented by Heil, agree that space travel and associated technologies should not lead to progress for a select few, but for the broader society.
- Elon Musk's SpaceX and NASA have played significant roles in reducing the financial burden of space travel, allowing more countries to participate in space exploration.
- The future of space travel, with the potential dominance of private companies represented by SpaceX and NASA's international cooperation with other space agencies, holds significance for both economic growth and social progress globally.
