Ryan Stancil,
Editor
July 23, 2021
If you turned on the news at any point this week, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the only noteworthy thing to happen was Jeff Bezos’ space flight.
The 10-minute trek carried a crew of four, including the former Amazon CEO. The fully automated ship launched from a site in west Texas, climbed just over 66 miles, and then descended, via parachute, back onto its launch site.
It was the first manned launch for Blue Origin, the company Bezos founded for space exploration. The flight was carried out explicitly to show that it was ready for manned missions.
Before, during, and after the flight, there was a lot of talk surrounding the event.
On one side, outlets were playing up the innovation and historical nature of the flight. That a crew of four, none of whom were experienced astronauts, went into space was a monumental occasion.
The other side argued that this was just an ego trip for the world’s richest man. They said that what he was doing was a waste of money. He should have been directing toward correcting societal ills like hunger and climate change, they argued.
It’s no secret that Jeff Bezos, and billionaires in general for that matter, are largely despised by a vocal sect of the population for various reasons. It certainly didn’t help his image when, after the flight during a press conference, Bezos thanked every Amazon employee and customer because “they paid for” the whole venture.
Depending on who you ask, the line ranged from being tone-deaf to being Bezos’ own “let them eat cake” moment. It spawned countless articles, tweets, and posts about the role of the ultra-rich in society and what they should or shouldn’t be spending their money on.
And because the culture war aspects of how Jeff Bezos chose to spend his money get more clicks and engagement, the technological breakthroughs behind it get lost in the noise and the real story goes unnoticed.
Just on the surface, what Blue Origin has done here is not just create a reusable, automated rocket, but one that’s been proven safe for manned missions.
They’ve done so without the inflated cost overruns that typically undermine government programs. And they’ve done it in a fraction of the time.
Blue Origin’s work has been mired in politics because of Bezos’ involvement, but that hasn’t stopped it from moving forward.
The same can’t be said about government-funded space programs. Look at how many people complain about NASA being a waste of money because they question the return on investment and the feasibility of the agency’s research.
What those complaints don’t address, or just ignore, is that this is only the first step to more advanced technologies. The work that Blue Origin and similar companies do could lead to developments in suborbital flight for faster air travel, reduced cost and time for future space travel, and new developments in technology that make it possible for us to do things in space that weren’t possible before.
And it’s that last thing that might be the most important.
One Earth-bound crisis private space projects could help solve is the looming helium shortage.
Helium is one of the most important elements on Earth. Consumer electronics rely on it because it’s used in making semiconductors. The medical industry needs it to carry out MRI scans. Fiber optic cables that are the backbone of the Internet need it so that air bubbles don’t get trapped in the cables. Computer hard drives, microscopes, and airbags are just a few more of the important technologies that rely on helium.
It’s even used in cleaning rocket fuel tanks.
All the more reason for these upstart space companies to continue their work.
You see, while helium is rare here on Earth, it’s the second-most abundant element in the universe. The moon has plenty of it, it’s just a matter of getting it and bringing it back. This is one of the biggest reasons we’re seeing this new space race, but it’s the one reason you don’t really hear much about.
Early estimates say that this scramble for this mine space could very well create the first trillionaire.
That kind of profit potential, combined with the overlooked nature of this story, creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to generate riches that can last for generations.
This isn’t just something for the spacefaring billionaires of the world to take advantage of, either. There’s a small company, operating right now, that’s ahead of all of them when it comes to securing a supply of helium.
Whether or not this experiment in commercial space exploration is because the world’s richest men are trying to outdo each other isn’t the point. The progress that this produces will open the door to untold profits in many different ways.
As an investor, you can make your fortune by helping secure a crucial element not many people think about. Get in now, before September 30th, when everyone will learn about this venture.
Keep your eyes open,
Ryan Stancil
Editor, Daily Profit Cycle
Ryan Stancil is an editor and regular contributor to Daily Profit Cycle. He’s been active in the financial publishing industry for more than half a decade, offering insights and commentary on technology and geopolitics to help readers make sense of the constantly changing landscape and how it affects their investments. His readers appreciate his "tell it as it is" writing style, where he always offers a fresh new perspective on what's happening in the market and leaves nothing unsaid.