Exploring ‘New’ Space: New Space, New Opportunities
New Space, the entrepreneurial space age, is growing faster than ever, providing chances for businesses to develop their ideas and accelerate return on investment.
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New Space, the entrepreneurial space age, is growing faster than ever, providing chances for businesses to develop their ideas and accelerate return on investment.
What is New Space?
In addition to winning the space race, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin also heralded the beginning of a new era in space exploration when they became the first people to step foot on the moon. The Apollo 11 moon landing demonstrated that science and human ingenuity able to truly accomplish what was previously seen as being impossible.
Today, a new group of individuals and organizations—visionary, risk-takers investing their own money in satellites, deep space exploration, lunar landings, asteroid mining, and space tourism—are claiming space as their own.
The most recent flurry of companies joining together to establish a completely new global space economy is referred to as the “New Space boom.” These private businesses are commercialising space, transforming it from a predominately state-owned sector into a dynamic and quickly expanding economy dubbed “the era of access and opportunity.”
New Space, New Opportunities
Rockets’ Emerging Golden Age
Some experts in the field are adamant that in addition to reliable rockets, the expanding market for launch services will also call for reusable launch vehicles (RLV). Other business executives, however, think that the reusability issue depends on the space mission.
The space community does however largely agree on the following: Reusable launch systems will reduce launch costs by recycling the rocket’s most expensive components rather than discarding them, historically the main obstacle to extending commercial access to space. Reusable launch systems have just lately shown their ability to revolutionise the space-launch paradigm.
Satellites: A World Apart
Satellites have contributed significantly to the advancement of society and will continue to do so as constellations of small satellites with radically new capabilities being deployed as a result of the rapid advancement of technology.
Nanos to Cubes
Beyond small satellites is another world of even smaller spacecraft — cubesats and nanosats can do much of what a conventional satellite does but at a fraction of the cost.
Some business analysts question whether cubesats and nanosats are simply in an evolutionary stage known as the “trough of disillusionment” or whether they are likely to ever achieve their predicted service performance and market potential.
High Altitude Roadside Assistance
With the world’s first commercial, in-space satellite-servicing mission delivering a huge New Space milestone, it could be argued that the seed has been sown for a market for on-orbit service and serve as the first step toward unlocking manufacturing in space.
Space Sweepers
With more than 130 million pieces of space debris, ranging from small paint flecks from spacecraft, to defunct satellites, spent rocket bodies, and even tools dropped by astronauts, there is so shortage of space debris orbiting our planet. This poses a real threat to satellites and the services they provide.
This is where space sweepers come in.
Destination: Space
Morgan Stanley analysts believe that sending civilians into space for more regular, more ambitious missions can be an important driver to increase public and investor awareness of the emergence of the space economy.
Imagining the Future
Entrepreneurial start-ups are paving the way for the commercialization of New Space with everything from landers prepared to wander the Moon to businesses that can downlink data instantly.
Our aim is to enable those who dare to dream, catapulting them into the future of New Space as industry leaders.
Find out more
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