When Las Vegas hotel magnate Robert Bigelow launched a small prototype of an inflatable private space-­station module from a Russian launchpad in July, it was only the first in an expected flurry of private launches in 2006. Progress in small, reusable rockets will make this a watershed year for private launches, perhaps ushering in an era of inexpensive space travel. "We have new items on the real road to practical spaceflight--private market development--popping up," says Boston-based aerospace consultant Charles Lurio.

The loudest roars might be heard in October in New Mexico, at the X Prize Cup, a showcase for new rocket technology and a ­follow­-up to the 2004 awarding of the $10 million X Prize for back-to-back private manned launches that reached suborbital altitudes and returned safely. That prize went to SpaceShipOne, made by Scaled Composites of Mojave, CA.