Private space economy is growing significantly, and 2026 could be a big year.

The first private space station is expected to launch next spring.

New commercial space flights will be offered for the very wealthy, of course,

and SpaceX is thinking of a public stock offering.

Smaller startups are beginning to make a name for themselves as well.

And our science correspondent, Miles O'Brien, has the story of one in New Zealand, catching some attention of its own.

Hi, Michael. What's this room called?

So this is the Mission Control Center.

Another day, another pair of launches on tap for the world's second most frequent flyer to space

after SpaceX, Rocket Lab.

Launch director Michael Pearson showed me their mission control room for the rocket they call

Electron.

It's ramping up and up.

So last year we did 16 launches. This year we're doing 20 or so.

We will continue to accelerate that and, you know, before long we'll be doing one a week, maybe more.

Brisk, but still well short of the record-setting pace set by SpaceX.

Elon Musk's company has logged more than 160 Falcon 9 launches this year.

Starlink deploy confirmed.

Most of them to deploy its Starlink internet constellation.

With SpaceX, they have unlimited money and unlimited people.

Right? We've had to be a bit more scrappy.

Scrappy.

...