The National | Meet the man dreaming of a ‘space bridge’ between UAE and US
The National interviewed Andrew Maximov, CEO and co-founder of Precious Payload, a US space-tech startup that opened a new headquarters in Abu Dhabi:
“Reducing the lead time and bureaucracy is important if the space industry is to realise its commercial potential – and the next decade is critical.
In 2010, it cost an average of $40,000 per kilogram to launch a satellite into space, and typically only one would make up the payload on a single rocket. Today, with the proliferation of lighter, small satellites and ride-share missions, multiple satellites can be sent on a smaller rocket for an eighth of the price.
In the coming decade, constellations of small satellites – weighing less than 500 kilos – will lift off from Earth each day at a more economical $500 per kilo.
“There’s a need to create industry standards on a rocket space mission,” co-founder and chief executive Andrew Maximov told The National, from the company’s office at Hub71 in Abu Dhabi. “Let’s not call them rockets. These are shipping containers, and a satellite is cargo. This is a commodity problem.”
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