Space Entrepreneurship 101

Define the space economy as companies with space products or revenue tied to space, and map use cases from launch and satellites to earth observation and navigation.

Discover how launch costs to low Earth orbit dropped from the shuttle's about $20,000 per kilogram to under $3,000 per kilogram with Falcon 9, driven by reusability and Starship ambitions.

Highlight how dropping component costs and miniaturization, exemplified by CubeSat trends, lower launch and operation costs and unlock new space business models.

Identify space sector stakeholders—government agencies, private companies, startups, and academia—for a chosen country, and compile events and information sources to support networking and a plan of attack.

Examine earth orbit types from low earth orbit to geostationary, and how altitude shapes resolution, revisit time, latency, and lifetime, while comparing big satellites with CubeSats, microsats, and nanosats.

Explore satellite communications as a major space economy driver, covering satellite TV, two-way broadband, IoT, and low earth orbit relay networks.

Explore earth observation from satellites, covering sensor types (optical, infrared, SAR), four resolutions, upstream and downstream business models, and use cases like agriculture, disaster response, and business intelligence.

Space experiments and manufacturing capitalize on microgravity and in-space resource utilization (IU) to test equipment and produce higher-purity products like zblan fiber, protein crystals, and pharmaceuticals.

Explore the evolving space tourism market from private space explorers to orbital trips aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon with ISS docking, and suborbital flights by Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin.

Explore how moon-focused businesses leverage testing, resources like water ice for life support and propellant, and private funding to build a future lunar economy.

Explore in-orbit services as a space economy, including space tugs for rapid satellite relocation, refueling and life extension, and debris removal to prevent the Kessler syndrome.

Explore a panorama of space business models, from mission as a service and launch sites to space-based navigation, in-space resource utilization, and space entertainment.

Choose a space economy subsector and a promising business model, then assess its current revenue, the future market size in 5–10 years, and the competitive landscape, customers, suppliers, and regulators.

Explore the essentials of starting a space business, from idea generation and evaluation to pitching frameworks and financing sources tailored to space startups.

Identify a perceived need to spark a space business idea and assess desirability, feasibility, and viability using value proposition and business model canvas templates, with Airbnb and Virgin Galactic examples.

Prepare a concise investor pitch by outlining value proposition, market size, competition, and feasibility, then detail the team, execution plan, financials, and the ask.

Explore private financing sources shaping the new space economy, from venture capital and angels to corporates, incubators, and friends-and-family funding, and examine horizons, risks, and regional trends.

Explore how governments fund space startups via direct investments, subsidized loans, and contracts, with SBIR programs and examples from NASA, DOD, DARPA, ESA incubators, and Horizon 2020.

Explore next steps in space entrepreneurship by pursuing MOOCs in MIT aerospace engineering and EPFL space mission design, and networking through ISU programs and conferences like the International Astronautical Congress.

Conclude your journey through the space economy and its subsectors, applying ideation, pitching, and financing insights to develop a local ecosystem-focused business idea.

Explore ways to participate in space beyond entrepreneurship, from joining established companies and agencies to roles in engineering, law, medicine, humanities, arts, or investment.