Comment by dmd
Er, no, you're not. That's the big problem with monopolies that execute regulatory capture.
Er, no, you're not. That's the big problem with monopolies that execute regulatory capture.
You too can start your own space exploration company if you are lucky enough to somehow obtain capital and your luck compounds sufficiently from that capital.
That luck is out of grasp of the vast majority of the population. It isn't a matter of effort, but mostly luck. Playing the lottery is not a realistic strategy to put forth from a monopoly competition perspective. 90% of startups fail, for example. They worked hard, but were unlucky.
Sure you are. SpaceX did exactly this and went against the well-connected monopoly at the time (ULA, a consortium of defense contractors) and beat it.
Nobody said it would be easy though.