Man has looked to the stars for inspiration since ancient times, creating myths, legends, and even science. It was not until the late 19th century, though, that space became a more tangible place for thinkers and scientists like Konstantin Tsiolkofksy, Robbert Goddard, and Herman Oberth. The work of these men set the stage for the first real and practical rockets, with the aim of conquering space.
The first developments in rocketry were made by private endeavors, Goddard in the US and Opel and the German Rocket Society in Germany. Nazi Germany further developed these first rockets into the infamous V2, and after World War II, German scientists were utilized in boosting the budding US and Soviet Union rocket projects. Both world powers began to take a serious look at rockets, with ample funding and recruitment of the best scientists in the field. The Cold War was about to start, and rockets had already proven to be a formidable weapon.
The Space Race, fueled by Cold War politics and military needs, culminated in the first manned mission to the Moon. At the same time it had provided both superpowers with an impressive arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and the first deployments of artificial satellites that would soon engulf the Earth, primarily providing telecommunications and intelligence for the public and military likewise. The long dreamed-about Space Age seemed to be just around the corner.
In reality, hard economic factors, the limited and pragmatic uses of space, as well as key events like the fall of the Soviet Union, meant that the Space Race and Age were now officially over. Budgets were cut, and projects like moon bases and manned missions to Mars were abandoned. Space, from the point of view of the governments of the US, Russia, Europe, and Japan, was now deemed a money hole, a very expensive show. The focus was shifted into making a profit by launching civilian telecommunications satellites and caring for the military needs. The International Space Station project was initiated, so as not to waste funding that had already gone into the US Freedom and Mir-2 projects.
The first government backed private ventures were formed, utilising proven designs and ready facilities, like Arianespace, the European consortium led by CNES and EADS, a practically French company that had evolved for the needs of the European space program. The Europeans were the first to truly commercialize space launches, with the US and Russia slowly following behind by deregulating and privatizing their space infrastucture. Companies like International Launch Services and Starsem offer the Proton and Soyuz vehicles in Russia, and the United Launch Alliance, a Lockheed-Martin and Boeing joint venture, offered launch services with the Delta and Atlas rockets in the US.
These major space enterprises utilized technology and practices established and provided by government agencies and funding. They benefitted from a 50-year long research program, with proven and capable rocket designs, all products of the Cold War. They were, in
essence, government backed, since the majority of their income came from government contracts (mainly the ISS, as well as USAF and NRO launches). Additionally, the US joint venture consisted of the two largest military contractors and aerospace industries worldwide, and represented only a small source of the total revenue of these corporations.