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24 Examples of the Space Industry

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The space industry is economic activity that occurs in space. This was born out of the space race of 1955 - 1975 but is still considered an early stage industry that is likely to grow significantly when technology evolves and highly scalable business models develop in the sector. The following are examples of current and hypothetical components of the space industry.

Transportation

The launch and delivery of satellites, equipment, supplies and people into space.

Telecommunications

Communication and networking services such as internet connections based on satellite technology.

Navigation

Systems for determining the location of devices on the Earth such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Earth Observation

The gathering of information about the Earth for purposes such as weather forecasting, disaster management, defense, security, commercial intelligence, agriculture, resource management and science.

Satellite Services

The operation of satellites and related facilities such as ground stations.

Aerospace Manufacturing

The design, production and maintenance of rockets and spacecraft.

Robotics

Space is ideal for robotics as it can be a high risk environment. Humans require water, air and food that is not present in space whereas robots only require energy which is abundant in space as solar energy. In theory, self-replicating machines could be produced in large numbers in space to build extremely large scale infrastructure at a relatively low cost.

Energy

The production of energy in space including electricity for use on Earth and rocket propellant for use in space. The intensity of sunlight in space near the Earth is about 1,360 watts per square meter whereas the average on the surface of the Earth is about 340 watts per square meter. Only a very small portion of the energy produced by the Sun reaches the Earth's atmosphere. The total energy produced by the Sun could support populations of trillions of people even if each person had a relatively lavish lifestyle.

Mining

The production of materials extracted from space environments such as as asteroids.

Space Manufacturing

The production of goods in space or on moons and planets besides Earth. This may eventually exceed the production of goods on Earth as space is resource and energy rich. Shifting production to space could also benefit Earth's environment if done in a sustainable way that reduces industrial waste and land footprint on Earth.

Air & Water

Water and breathable air are precious commodities in space and an industry could evolve around their production.

Space Farming

The production of food and other organic materials in space. Initially, this would be used to supply people working or visiting space. Crops can also be used to produce oxygen in space from carbon dioxide produced by people or industrial processes. Due to the abundance of solar energy in space, it is possible that Earth's populations could also be eventually fed with food from space.

Computing

It may be possible to deploy data centers to cool environments in space and make use of ubiquitous solar power.

Science

The Earth is a tiny spec in a large universe such that non-Earth environments are of great interest to Science.

Research & Development

The process of innovation whereby new value is discovered and commercialized. It may be possible to experiment at great scale in space without risking impacts on Earth.

Space Tourism

Allowing people to experience space for a fee.

Education

Educational experiences in space such as an opportunity to conduct research in space environments.

Service Industry

Services provided to workers, students and tourists in space such as a hotel, restaurant or gym.

Risk Management

The management of space related risks, for example, insurance for commercial installations in space.

Space Environment

Cleaning up or preventing damage to the space environment. Despite the space industry being in its initial stages, space junk in orbit around the Earth has become a risk to space infrastructure and Earth itself due to the presence of hazardous materials such as nuclear reactors.

Disaster Prevention

The reduction or avoidance of risks to Earth from space, particularly asteroid impact prevention.

Space Finance

Space has potential for capital intensive projects beyond anything attempted on Earth that may require a great deal of capital. As space industries grow, it is possible that the capital deployed in space will exceed that of Earth.

Colonies

The development of outposts, cities, societies and civilizations in space or on alien planets and moons. This would require massive investments in space infrastructure and spacecraft.

Sustainability

Rockets produce significant air pollution in the form of gases and particles directly delivered into the middle and upper atmosphere. This may exhibit Jevons paradox whereby more efficient rockets make space transport more affordable, causing more rockets and more pollution. Nevertheless, it is also possible that the space industry will eventually benefit the Earth's environment in some way. In theory, all industry could be shifted to space leaving the Earth for nature and culture. This could be introduced as an early business model for space enterprises whereby value is created by shifting risks from Earth to space environments.
Overview: Space Industry
Type
Definition (1)
Economic activity that occurs in space.
Definition (2)
The production of value beyond the karman line.
Related Concepts

Industries

This is the complete list of articles we have written about industries.
Advertising
Advertising Industry
Agriculture Industry
Art Business
Communications
Construction
Consulting
Creative Economy
Creative Industries
Education
Entertainment
Farming
Fashion
Film Industry
Finance
Financial Industry
Food Industry
Green Industry
Heavy Industry
Hospitality
Information Industry
Infrastructure
IT Industry
Light Industry
Manufacturing
Materials
Media
Media Services
Music
Primary Industry
Professional Services
Publishing
Restaurants
Retail
Robotics
Secondary Industry
Service Industry
Software
Space
Space
Sports Industry
Technology Industry
Telecom
Tertiary Sector
Transport Industry
Travel Industry
Video Game Industry
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References

Incoming Sunlight, NASA Earth Observatory, Jan 14, 2009

Industries

A list of industries.

Music Industry

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Secondary Sector

The definition of secondary sector with examples.

IT Industry

A list of IT industry business models.

Technology Industry

An overview of the technology industry.

Communications Industry

The definition of the communications industry with examples.

Publishing Industry

A list of the basic elements of the publishing industry.

Broadcast Media

The definition of broadcast media with examples.

Software Industry

Examples of the software industry.

Fermi Paradox

The Fermi Paradox explained.

Spacecraft

A list of existing, proposed and hypothetical spacecraft.

Piggyback

An overview of piggybacks in transportation.

Orbit

The common types of orbit.

Speed Of Light

An overview of the speed of light with examples.

Inertia

The definition of inertia with examples.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

An overview of the common wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Physics

A list of the branches of physics.

Space Things

A list of astronomical objects and phenomenon.
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