The commercialization of space: A new Gold Rush?

Introduction. The second space race is on

• Growing commercial and geopolitical
interests à plans for at least 5 new
space stations by 2030 / first
commercial space station in the next
decade;
• Many more countries expressing
interest in space on all continents;
Orbital Reef, Blue Origin’s plans to build its own
• Growing private investment; space station (will begin operating in the second
half of this decade)
The second space race is on à increased exploitation that could lead to
risk of congestion / increase in debris / possibility of collision with few
government structures to mitigate new threats.
How has space been exploited so far?
• The overarching importance of
satellites

• The military importance of space

à Reading comprehension: “We must

regulate the exploitation of limited
resources in space,” August 10, 2022,
Financial Times
The new commercialization of space

• Approximately 11,000 satellites launched since Sputnik 1;

• 70,000 more could enter orbit in the coming decades;
• New areas of interest for states and companies: energy generation,
manufacturing (cf. “How space factories are becoming a reality,”
August 20, 2023, CNBC), tourism, and mining
à Listening comprehension: “What happened to space mining?”
October 9, 2022, CNBC
What could go wrong?
• Risk of collisions à the Kessler effect / syndrome

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA

 • Lack of updated international rules around space activity

An office of the UN Secretariat that

promotes and facilitates peaceful
international cooperation in outer
space (1958)

The Outer Space Treaty, 1967 (https://outerspacetreaty.org/)

Extra resource: https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/spacelaw/activities/2019/T3-6_SF_Space_Resources-

Legal_and_Policy_Issues.pdf
 • Significant unknowns about the impacts of rapid space development
on Earth’s environment;
• Society’s dependence on space infrastructure;
• For a large majority of governments, space technology and access will
remain out of reach;
• A growing risk of the militarization of space (cf. “Space: the next
frontier for war?” February 20, 2019, The Economist)
Conclusion.

• Need for more robust governance in a more crowded and competitive

space;
• Importance of bringing private sector actors into agreement
processes.

(Extra resource: “Profits, sovereignty and security: The battle for the
new space economy,” DW News, March 26, 2022)