Abstract
Abstract
Commercial human access to suborbital space tourism as a segment within the commercial space transportation industry has been rapidly evolving. This study uses a competitive analysis approach built on the characteristics of industry structure to better understand this evolution. The overarching goal of this study is to apply economist Michael Porter's five forces model to the evolving suborbital commercial space tourism segment. Extant suborbital research, industry publications, and primary qualitative interview data were used to evaluate the role of industry stakeholders, economic and political barriers to entry, and competitive rivalry on the evolution of the industry. This study reveals that the forces being exerted on rivalry in the industry may result in the formation of an oligopoly controlled by few providers of space tourism services. Competition will evolve based on a focus on product differentiation among these firms as opposed to the reduction of ticket prices.
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