Entrepreneurs in Space

Following two delayed attempts, Discovery was successfully launched at 2:37:55 p.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center marking NASA’s first-ever shuttle flight to leave Earth on Independence Day. The successful mission helps pave the way for the future of space missions and entrepreneurship. Space spending has climbed to $50 billion a year worldwide, according to Business 2.0.

NASA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) mission is to "fully integrate small, small disadvantaged, and women owned small businesses into the competitive base of contractors from which NASA regularly purchases goods and services and urge NASA's prime contractors to do so in their subcontracting activities." During 2004, NASA awarded a total of $847 million to women owned small businesses; $323 million in prime contracting and $524 million in subcontracting. An opportunity for small business to gain a piece of the space market.