Space exploration really began in the context of the Cold War, with the two global superpowers at the time, the Soviet Union and the United States, vying for technological superiority. Government-funded space agencies of this era were primarily driven by political, military, and scientific concerns. This competition led to a great number of scientific and practical applications of space technologies, including the first imaging and communication satellites, the first human spaceflight, and numerous advancements in our scientific understanding of the universe.  This early period of space exploration has retrospectively become referred to as OldSpace.

However, since approximately the year 2000 there has been the emergence of a new wave of actors in the space arena -- private companies. Now defense contractors were an integral part of OldSpace, but extraterrestrial missions were designed and financed by government entities not subject to market forces. But this changes around the turn of the millennium, with Blue Origin in 2000, SpaceX in 2002, and Virgin galactic in 2004, private launch providers begin competing, and the cost of getting an object into orbit starts to drop precipitously in the early 2010s. This, coupled with the trend of launching smaller and smaller satellites, has made space remarkably affordable and thus accessible. This period of commercialized space has started to be referred to as quote NewSpace.  

With NewSpace, we’re seeing an increasing number of commercial and even non-profit actors launching their own satellites and conducting their own missions. We are seeing a proliferation of different space technologies and space industries that likely never would have sprung out of OldSpace. In addition to troves of new observation, communication, and navigation satellite constellations, we see new industries entirely, such as microgravity research, satellite surfacing, and space tourism. And on the horizon, we’re likely to see the development of other industries, such as space energy, mining both lunar and asteroid, and microgravity manufacturing. It's certainly a very exciting moment in the history of the space industry.

And speaking of international governance, this brings me to my third and final exciting development in space, which is the involvement of Emergent Spacefaring Nations. There is increased investment from countries who have not been historically involved in Space activities, such as Brazil, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia, which is further driving us towards both a more diverse and competitive space. There are numerous reasons why these different countries would want to increase their participation in space, including national security, scientific data collection, improved communications infrastructure, and also to reap the benefits of the growing commercial space industry.

But with this new activity, one thing to keep in mind is that the commercialization of space increases risks of unequal access to the benefits of space. Capitalism tends to be very spiky in terms of who reaps the benefits of technological changes. The exciting part of new countries is that they bring new perspectives and new sources of innovation, but it also raises the specter of international conflict.  Space, to quote a colleague, has become “increasingly congested, contested, and competitive”.

So, will all of humanity benefit equally from the economic and technological benefits of space?  No.  However, a thoughtful approach toward space engineering design, systems of international governance, and impacts back onto our own planet is vital so that we as an interplanetary species maximizes benefits and minimizes the harms of this growing and exciting sector.