20200702 SpaceX

An artist's rendering of the SpaceX Crew Dragon: The May launch shows it is possible for a private company to send people into orbit, something deemed impractical a decade or so ago. © SpaceX

SpaceX success has Asia startups dreaming of the stars

From Japan to Singapore, space companies face financial and technical challenges

TOKYO/PALO ALTO, U.S. -- For 19 hours on May 31, Nobu Okada was glued to his computer screen as the SpaceX Crew Dragon lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and successfully docked with the International Space Station.

It was a history-making moment: Elon Musk's space venture had achieved the first-ever private launch of a crew into space. For Okada, and many like him in Asia's burgeoning commercial space industry, it was both an inspiration and a challenge.

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