The New Space Economy

About

Space exploration commercialization progresses at high speeds. Twelve people walked on the moon until 1972 and returned to Earth with lunar soil and rocks. Since 2021, China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has been operating Tiangong (天宫) in Earth’s orbit. Since 2022, the U.S.’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission Artemis aims to establish humans’ long presence on our natural satellite. In 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) landed a module for the first time in its south pole region. In 2024, Japan became the fifth country to successfully land its Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) probe. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) fleet in the solar system is constantly expanding.
Once only a feat of governments, today, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, among others, systematically conduct space-related activities such as spaceflights bringing private astronauts beyond the limits of our planet. The discussion continues with companies establishing themselves on craters and lunar real estate being in dispute.

Course leader

Athanasios Tsarouchas

Target group

Enrolled as an Undergraduate student or Undergraduate diploma

Course aim

• What are the ethical dimensions of space settlement?
• What is the history of space travel, and which public organizations are responsible for space exploration?
• How does the private space industry ecosystem contribute to the development of the space economy?
• What are the economic elements of going to space, and who might benefit from them?
• Are there control tensions and conflicts between countries, and can space militarization be avoided?

Fee info