About The Episode

What are the current and future projects in the New Space Industry that will generate more jobs and careers?

Transcript

ne of the themes of this podcast is the exploration of the new industries where many future jobs might develop. Much like the automobile industry rose up and disrupted the horse and buggy industry leading to one of the largest job markets today, the metaverse, AI development, and the new space industry all are likely candidates for new job growth. I’ve brought on several guests to talk about current challenges to the space industry, but I think it’s important to look at some of more exciting space based projects that are either envisioned or being carried out today to give a better perspective of why new jobs will be developed here for years to come. And to start let’s look at some of the more known projects: 

1. Starlink. Many of the guests that have come onto the podcast have talked about the growing number of both live and dead satellites in orbit, the challenges this poses to launches, and space exploration in general. The more popular project that adds to this issue is of course Starlink. The goal is to have around 12,000 satellites in orbit that provide affordable and reliable broadband connectivity across the world, with a focus on remote areas that tend to have limited or no access currently. The network that is provided is not meant to connect directly to your mobile, but rather through an installed home antenna kit that Starlink provides, and provides download speeds at around 100Mbps. 

Currently there are some 2000 satellites in operation, serving over 10,000 customers in over 14 countries. 

There have been some mild connectivity issues, but the main concerns surround the disruption to telescopes and observatories with so many satellites in the sky, as well as the potential domino effect of orbital collisions leading to catastrophic problems for future launches and space exploration in general which have been discussed many times in previous episodes. Luckily there are already efforts to reduce the brightness, reflectivity and overall visibility of the satellites, and a de-orbit propulsion system integrated in each satellite, burning them up in earth’s atmosphere.         

1. One of the New Space Industry’s most defining programmes is space tourism. Previously only highly trained astronauts could experience zero g and low orbit through the large financial backing of governments, but today this is possible through private companies and an expensive ticket. There is considerable growth opportunity here, as  the space tourism industry is estimated to be only 2 billion USD by 2030, and the global tourism industry was worth 1 trillion dollars in 2020, even amidst the global pandemic.  Virgin Galactic successfully reached the edge of space with a full crew in the cabin for the first time in July of 2021. Tickets go anywhere up to 450k, and passengers experience 3-4 minutes of weightlessness. Over 600 people have already booked a ride and due to this successful flight, it is expected many more will pre-book. Though this is just the beginning of space tourism, I think this will be quite important in supporting or funding the new space industry especially as we look at the next future space projects. But I’ll touch on this point later.  

1. Mars Colony. Perhaps the most discussed and contested space project of all, Elon Musk’s Mars colony is also the largest in scope. With the ultimate goal of having 1 million colonists enabling a fully self-sufficient base, this project has gathered attention for several years already. In a recent interview, Musk explained that for this to start to happen in the 2030’s, nearly 1000 ships, taking 100 people each, would need to make the journey every 2 years to establish and continuously supply the base. This is a monumental fleet when you really think about it, not to mention all the support in creating about 1 rocket per month. Ignoring all the controversy surrounding whether this is feasible or even desirable compared to dealing with the problems on earth, this project in and of itself will generate an enormous need for labour and supporting industries.   

1. Moon Base. A little bit closer to Mars, there are also plans to build a moon base. There are actually two dominant programmes for this, the Artemis Programme led by NASA, and the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), led by China and supported by Russia. The NASA Artemis project will commence in 2024 with a crewed mission to the moon and a sustained presence will start in 2028. The purported goal will be to host 4 astronauts and use lunar materials into usable resources, while having vehicles to explore the moon further. Perhaps more importantly the lunar base will be used as a testing ground for mars missions. Training astronauts in long duration missions to prepare for long space flights to mars. 

The China and Russia programme though has a different goal. The ILRS will host 5 groups of people to establish a sustainable colony, and ultimately have between 20 and 40 full time people, mainly involved in material extraction, such as zinc, and titanium and possible fuel sources such as Helium-3, which still needs to be further researched. The hope is tha by 2050 the base will have a fully sustained presence. There are current missions that are mapping ideal locations to set up the base. 

1. As a continuation of the space tourism idea, one notable project is the first orbiting hotel that should be ready this decade. The voyager station is expected to begin construction in 2026, could use the SpaceX starship as transportation, and accommodate 280 guests and 112 crew members. Though the trip would only be 3 and a half days, the ticket price would range around 5 million USD. Due to its design being similar to a rotating wheel, some artificial gravity will be produced and in typical tourism fashion, some recreational activities have already been planned for guests to enjoy the gravity equivalent to that of the moon. According to the official website automation and tele-robotics will play a predominant role in its construction, which will be important as this will be the largest manmade structure in orbit….if it ever gets the investment and backing needed to start. We’ll have to wait and see.
   1. Similarly, there are plans for the ISS (which will have the official end of the international partnership in 2024) to have a section detach and continue as an autonomous commercial station. This will allow it to act as both a research station, and a space hotel. So there is a clear trend towards more and more commercialisation of these projects and assets compared to the past.      

1. Asteroid mining. One of, if not the most hyped space ventures is asteroid mining. Though reduced in scope and interest due to technological and economic hurdles from the fervor of the 2010’s, there have been some successful missions already. Most notably the Hayabusa missions were able to return material from asteroids, proving the viability of this venture technologically. However the amounts returned, 1 milligram, and 100 milligrams, with the 300 and 800 million price tags of both missions challenged the economic viability of the industry as a whole. And most ambitions have shifted to more long term goals or towards other opportunities. That being said, there was a reason for the significant appeal of making this viable, especially in our current technological age which consumes rare materials at an alarmingly faster rate each year. For instance: