International Space University Study

Interesting 2008 study from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Well worth reading for some background.

Here's the abstract:

"There has recently been a tremendous growth in the private funding of satellite and launch 
vehicle technology as well as various technical aspects of astronautics and space exploration. In the past this has largely been due to government support, via supporting international legal 
regimes and awarding contracts to private companies. Private initiatives in commercial launch 
vehicle development aimed at exploiting the potentials of a global space tourism market have 
also served to further strengthen the role that the private industries are taking in the space 
sector. With this growth in launch vehicle development, comes a revived focus on space 
technologies as means of transportation, with point to point suborbital flights being looked at as the next step. As key technologies mature, there is a possibility for suborbital space flight to 
become a viable method of transporting passengers and cargo around the world; however, there are many questions raised by this and the need therefore exists to lay a foundation for the successful realization of any such initiative. This report seeks to outline the conditions that 
would be required for this growth. 

This report is a thorough appraisal of the technological, financial, marketing, safety, 
infrastructural, and legal requirements for the point to point suborbital transportation industry. 
Focused on the transport of passengers and cargo, the report analyzes in detail the conditions 
that should be put in place to foster and sustain this industry. It describes the existing challenges and discusses possible options for overcoming these while drawing from the experience of previous programs. The report includes an in-depth look at the feasibility of point to point suborbital transportation from the perspective of cost, funding, technology development, and the possibility of growth from a fledgling suborbital tourism industry. The conclusions are synthesized into a series of recommendations for the next generation of suborbital travel to go forth and prosper."