we all hear about talk of the space tourism industry getting off the ground in the next decade or so - what interests me more though, is that given NASA's snail pace progress in solar system exploration, as well as bureaucratic processes that bog it down, can we expect private companies to explore the solar system with robotic probes? Would it depend solely on potential profit? If so, would there be a demand realistically, for purchasing the data gathered, to make it commercially viable, if no private company wants to do so for the sake of discovery alone?

can we expect private companies to explore the solar system with robotic probes? Would it depend solely on potential profit?

Private for-profit business ventures go into a new line of business for one reason, and one reason only. Hint: they are for-profit business ventures. Where is the profit in sending out robotic probes? There is profit in sending unmanned vehicles into space, and companies have been doing that since the 1960s. (I talking about communications satellites.) The 21st century commercial space ventures see profit in a different arena: Sending people (wealthy people) up into space, and charging *a lot* for the privilege.