Investment Financing of Exploration to New Worlds
Investment Financing of Exploration to New Worlds:
Historical Investment Financing of Exploration for New Worlds, Current Analogies to Other Industries, and Ideas for the Future.
Abstract. How have expeditions of past exploration been financed? Do these historical explorations for new worlds provide any insights into how to finance future exploration of the Moon, Mars and new worlds yet to be decided upon? The purpose of this paper and this presentation is to discuss some of the history of exploration financing and how it relates to sources of financing available today. It will look at some specific expeditions to then New Worlds and at exploration in general. It will also comment on what investors are looking for and what needs to happen for the Space industry to attract their consistent attention. There are and have been many sources of funds, from investors, for exploration endeavors over the centuries. Some of these have been governments, as is the case with most lunar and space exploration to date. There have also been wealthy individuals and consortiums involved. Motivations have differed. Some exploration has been motivated by pursuit of profit while at other times it is the pursuit of knowledge, military conquest, defense, glory, adventure or the search for new worlds and territory for settlement. Competition, formal or unstated, has also had an impact on exploration success and exciting new examples of its importance to achievements are happening now. All these continue to be motivators today – though some more than others, – and which the motivator is, may determine the potential sources of financing.
Space exploration is much like early exploration for new territory, and the discovery of New Worlds. There are, however, other types of exploration as well. Industries other than Space have similar challenges as it relates to investment financing. Examples of creative financing techniques from industries such as Mining, Oil and Gas and Biotech will also be looked at to see if, and/or how, these strategies could be applied to the Space industry. What are the best investment vehicles needed to finance the exciting exploration ahead?
(Prepared for and presented at International Space Development Conference 2006 (ISDC2006) and an earlier version was prepared for and presented at International Lunar Conference 7 (ILC2005)
Copyright belongs to Eva-Jane Lark, please email her at evainterviews (at) gmail (dot) com for permission to use this paper.
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