José Hernández was 10 years old when he learned that he wanted to be an astronaut. He was in front of his television (a console that received black and white images, with a rabbit antenna and aided by his grandmother’s knitting needles), when he saw one of the last walks on the Moon and realized that his destiny it was in space.
“I looked at one of the last Apollo missions, in 1971. I saw images of astronaut James Irwin walking on the surface of the Moon; it was almost the end of the Apollo time. If you think about it, humans have not returned to the Moon since. “
That’s where José’s dream was born, the son of Mexican immigrants, who learned English at the age of 12 and later became part of the 19th generation of NASA astronauts, which allowed him to be part of the STS- mission. 128 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, in 2009.
Follow the technology information in our specialized section
Today he is a consultant and speaker; He has also developed a new facet as an entrepreneur in the wine industry. José considers that the recent news about the arrival of entrepreneurs Elon Musk, Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos into space is far from speaking of a mere whim of millionaires; on the contrary, it considers that they open the door to a new industry with great possibilities.
“Many people interpret that we have billionaires going into space as a mere whim of theirs and that there really is no plan, but these gentlemen got rich because they are visionaries. They know that, in the short term, they will not have a buoyant business, but they understand the opportunities in the long term. “
SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are the first three private companies with the capacity and infrastructure to send humans into space and return them safely. In the past, only NASA and other government space agencies around the world have had such a chance.
“The opportunity [de negocio] The closest is space tourism, but it is not the only goal ”, says the astronaut.
José explains that, for example, in the case of Blue Origin, the infrastructure developed by Jeff Bezos’ team allows missions to be carried out on reusable rockets. This reduces the costs of sending people into space and opens up possibilities to work on joint projects with NASA or even win contracts to send astronauts to space stations.
Meanwhile, in the case of Virgin Galactic, José Hernández anticipates that Richard Branson’s firm could bet on luxury tourism, which shortens travel times.
“Virgin Galactic aircraft reach suborbital heights and land like an airplane. They are ideal for space tourism, but that may not be the long-term goal. An aerospace intercontinental system can also be developed. In short, one can imagine a Virgin Galactic system where the plane takes off from New York, makes its suborbital route and lands in Singapore: instead of taking 14 hours, that transcontinental subobital flight would last about an hour or an hour and a half ” , details.
An open universe
Another advantage of private company space flights, considers José Hernández, is the fact that many people in Latin America and the world who want to be astronauts now have another possibility, since, in the past, only NASA and other space agencies , like the Russian Space Agency, they sent astronauts, mainly citizens of the governments in question, while now, with the arrival of the private in space, there are more opportunities.
For the rest of the business ecosystem, mainly startups, a door is also opening, this time, in satellite technology.
José recalls that, in 2015, he advised the Mexican government on the purchase of three communication satellites that were the size of a compact truck, had a cost of more than 300 million dollars each and a useful life of 18 years. 20 years.
“It was an expense… astronomical! To get the most out of it, that technology had to last 15 to 20 years in operation, but, in that time, that technology becomes prehistoric. The trend now is for small satellites so that, instead of launching them and being stationary [órbitas fijas], launch at low altitude, have coverage, communicate with each other and download signals immediately. Today something happens that was not possible before: you can go on a trip to the Amazon and, in the middle of the jungle, watch Netflix on your device. That requires suppliers that produce infrastructure, and there is a great opportunity there ”, he details.
Asked whether Mexican startups have real opportunities to join the space industry, he warns that, although it is good news to see local startups, national firms still face several challenges.
“There are quite a few companies that offer satellite communication services. What companies are going to have to do is create a differentiator, because those who are already operating have the ability to invest to stay one step ahead. For a smaller company it will certainly be more difficult; there will be a lot of competition ”.
Regarding funding, José Hernández believes that investors today have more appetite, but they continue to see the space industry as a high-risk area. To mitigate concerns, entrepreneurs who want to enter this segment will need to submit solid proposals.
“Firm business plans must be made, showing that there is not only demand for what they are going to do, but [que cuentan con] a list of customers who have already signed intentions to buy ”.
The astronaut considers that the government is also a key element in the development of a Mexican space industry.
“We have to distinguish ourselves to be recognized as experts. That is why government investment is important. This should bet more on study and development in university laboratories. Instead of cutting Conacyt’s budget, it should increase it. Innovation slows down if there is no investment ”, he adds.
Subscribe to Forbes Mexico