Plus: Rethinking the space business model in the face of resource scarcity
By Dan Robitzski
Welcome back to our weekly newsletter highlighting the opinions and perspectives of the SpaceNews community.
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If space is going to become economically useful, then downmass, or bringing payloads from space back to Earth, needs to start getting the same focus as launch does today, according to an opinion article by Amir Blachman, president of the downmass firm Outpost.
"Space logistics should be viewed as infrastructure, not vehicles, the same way prior generations understood railroads, container shipping and aviation networks," Blachman wrote. "Just as Eisenhower pioneered the construction of highways across the nation, helping the U.S. grow into an economic powerhouse, the next era of logistics demands building the highways to and from space."
Read the full article on SpaceNews here. |
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The space industry's rapid expansion may soon run into trouble as it becomes clear that resources such as materials, energy and orbital capacity have their limits, according to an article by Eurospace Secretary General Olivier Lemaitre and Eurospace Research and Managing Director Pierre Lionnet.
"This raises a simple but uncomfortable question," the authors wrote: "Can we continue to increase indefinitely the mass we place in orbit each year? Or is it time to prioritize fewer, longer-lasting and more efficient systems?"
In the article, they suggested a handful of different strategies for space sustainability, some of which would require rethinking fundamental approaches to space launches and operations.
"The issue is no longer so much choosing between volume and efficiency, but rather accepting that the current model, based on continuous expansion, is gradually reaching its limits," they wrote. "That tension, between physical limits and strategic necessity, is where the future of the space sector will be decided. The sooner it is confronted, the better our chances of shaping it."
Read the full article on SpaceNews here. |
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SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community’s diverse perspectives. Whether you’re an academic, executive, engineer or even just a concerned citizen of the cosmos, send your arguments and viewpoints to opinion (at) spacenews.com to be considered for publication online or in our next magazine. If you have something to submit, read some of our recent opinion articles and our submission guidelines to get a sense of what we’re looking for. The perspectives shared in these opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent their employers or professional affiliations. |
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FROM SPACENEWS |
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Missile defense at machine speed: On May 13, join SpaceNews and Wind River for a discussion that explores the mission assurance challenges behind missile defense initiatives, examining what military organizations must consider to ensure the software backbone connecting these systems remains resilient, interoperable and trusted in high-consequence environments. Register now. |
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