Friday, May 15, 2026

Opinions: An 'investor moment' for space

Plus: Why Earth observation data gets stuck
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05/15/2026

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By Dan Robitzski


Welcome back to our weekly newsletter highlighting the opinions and perspectives of the SpaceNews community.


Space is having its internet moment. Investors should act accordingly.


Investors looking to expand their space portfolio should pay close attention to the rise of companies that fit into a broader space network or ecosystem, Felix von Schubert, an executive partner at NewSpace Capital, wrote in a commentary article this week. He argued that the space industry is starting to look like the early days of the internet, where technology may be imperfect but customers are still showing a steady demand.


"Naturally, risk profiles change as the sector does," he wrote. "Investors should be careful not to rely overly on one part of the value chain. They might spread capital across launch providers, satellite operators, optical payload developers, ground station manufacturers and data or analytics firms that turn satellite signals into usable products. That brings down risk."


See the full article here

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An optical ground station. Credit: Cailabs

An optical ground station. Credit: Cailabs

Why Earth observation data is getting stuck in orbit


Earth observation infrastructure needs a serious upgrade, so that ground infrastructure and data transfer can accommodate the vast quantities of data being captured and relayed from orbit, according to an opinion article by Cailabs CEO Jean-François Morizur.


"Earth observation data is taking so long to be received, processed and distributed that it is degrading, losing its value and, in some cases, becoming unusable," he wrote.


In his article, Morizur calls on private companies to build more ground stations, governments to provide steady demand for them and policymakers to establish shared standards across borders so that global infrastructure can work together.


See the full commentary on SpaceNews here.


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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