Billionaire private investment is good for the space industry, whether we like it or not.

This month sees two billionaires – Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos – perform suborbital flights on vehicles designed by their own companies. Hanh Nguyen-Le tracks the recent history of billionaire space projects, from space tourism, to operating commercially and contracting with the federal government. Despite billionaires’ unpopularity with much of the public, they argue that billionaire-involvement in space is a good thing – driving down costs, saving money for the space efforts of national governments, and increasing access to space in the long-run.