SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket sits on a launch-pad on the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier this year. (Courtesy of SpaceX)

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.

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