The Space Economy: Structural Growth Engine or Strategic Hype? Governance, Value Creation, and Global Asymmetries

Day: Wednesday 7 October
Time: 11:30 - 12:30
Location:

Over the past decade, the “space economy” has become one of the most frequently invoked concepts in space policy, industrial strategy, and investment discourse. Market projections routinely forecast trillion-dollar valuations, while space is increasingly framed as the next frontier for economic growth, technological spillovers, and geopolitical influence. Despite optimism, fundamental questions remain insufficiently debated: is the space economy a structurally transformative economic engine, or a narrative inflated by speculative expectations, financialization, and strategic signalling? This panel proposes a critical discussion on future of space economy that moves beyond launch counts, satellite numbers, headline market sizes. Instead, it aims to interrogate the economic substance of space activities, their real capacity to generate sustained value on Earth, and the conditions under which space can become a driver of inclusive, durable growth.

First axis of debate concerns distinction between derived and intrinsic space economic value. Many current business models rely on public procurement, institutional anchor customers, downstream services that remain marginal in global economic terms. Is the space economy creating new value chains, or primarily redistributing public investment and risk?

Second axis addresses the role of governance and regulation as economic enablers rather than constraints. The absence of mature international regulatory frameworks for issues such as orbital sustainability, resource utilization, and spectrum management creates both opportunities and systemic risks. This panel explore whether the current “regulate later” approach accelerates innovation—or instead undermines long-term economic viability by amplifying congestion, fragmentation, and legal uncertainty. Third, often overlooked dimension concerns the global distribution of space economic benefits. While space is frequently presented as universal opportunity, access to capital, infrastructure, and regulatory leverage remains highly asymmetric. Finally, the panel will confront the uncomfortable but necessary question of limits. Where should public and private actors draw the line between strategic investment, long-term vision, hype-driven allocation of resources?