https://spacewatch.global/space-economy-1/space-economy-featuring-articles/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:50:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/space-economy-1/space-economy-featuring-articles/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/spacewatchgl-space-unromanced-the-price-of-looking-up/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76628
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
Space talks endlessly about attracting the next generation. But behind the promise of meritocracy lies a quieter barrier: who can actually afford the education, opportunities and unpaid experience required to enter the sector?]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/spacewatchgl-orbital-venturing-chapter-5-organising-for-success/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76442
Written by Jascha Langenberg
Reaching industrial scale creates a new challenge for space start-ups: the organisation itself. Chapter 5 explores how founders, teams and structures must evolve as a start-up grows – and why the habits that enabled early success can eventually hold a company back.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/spacewatchgl-analysis-indias-space-industry-push-pays-off-with-successful-launch/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76319
Written by Edd Gent
India’s efforts to grow a globally competitive private space industry are beginning to pay off, with a successful orbital launch by startup Skyroot Aerospace on 18 July.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-analysis-a-space-programme-or-just-a-subscription/ Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76056
Written by Timo Krone
Why strategic autonomy in space is no longer measured by launches, but by control over infrastructure. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-innovation-problem-isnt-innovation/ Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76027
Written by Judith Delany
Europe produces world-class research, engineering and ambitious space projects. So why do so many ideas struggle to become commercial success stories? This opinion argues that the answer may lie not in technology, but in the handover between the communities responsible for turning innovation into reality.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-space-economy-now-wears-a-uniform-is-europe-ready/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75794 Fifty-three percent of the world's government space spending now goes to defence. Analysing ESA's Report on the Space Economy 2026, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening argues the space economy has become a defence economy - and that Europe, an order of magnitude behind the US and China, must now decide whether it will be a shareholder or a customer. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-assises-du-newspace-2026-the-rise-of-competitive-frugality/ Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75631
Written by Gilles Rabin
At the 2026 Assises du NewSpace, France's space sector embraced a new reality: declining public funding, growing military investment, and a renewed ambition to compete globally through private capital and European cooperation.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-stop-admiring-the-problem-europes-space-sovereignty-is-an-execution-failure/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75574 A founder, a security strategist and a defence professor walked into Reflex Aerospace's new Berlin office. Between them they exposed Europe's real space problem - not technology, not vision, but execution. My notes from an evening that doubled as a warning.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-orbital-venturing-chapter-4-growth-pain-and-the-valley-of-death/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75541
Written by Jascha Langenberg
Scaling is where many European space start-ups face their greatest challenge. As they enter the "Valley of Death", engineering excellence alone is no longer enough. This chapter explores why manufacturing, procurement, and the absence of anchor customers often determine whether a promising company becomes a sustainable business.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-bottleneck-illusion-why-a-fast-rocket-wont-save-us-in-a-space-crisis/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75484
Written by Pietro Guerrieri
Rapid launch is only one part of responsive space. In this opinion piece, Pietro Guerrieri argues that the real bottleneck lies on the ground, where logistics, procedures, and operational readiness determine whether a satellite can truly be replaced when it matters most.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-orbital-venturing-chapter-3-max-q-in-start-ups-funding-journey/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75206
Written by Jascha Langenberg
Why the "Bus Factor" matters to investors: discover why founder dependency is a hidden risk in space start-ups and how it shapes scaling and venture capital decisions.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-europe-can-map-its-talent-the-harder-question-is-what-it-will-build-for-that-talent-to-do/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74684
Written by Torsten Kriening
ESA's new Skills Digital Twin is a detailed picture of Europe's space workforce. Read closely, it points past training and toward delivery - and toward a communication problem the sector has circled for years.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchglobal-opinion-what-nasas-artemis-iii-crew-choice-could-tell-us-about-the-future-of-lunar-exploration/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74612
Written by Judith Delany
NASA will reveal the Artemis III crew on June 9. While attention will focus on the names, the selection may reveal far more about how NASA intends to build its Moon Base architecture and the future of human lunar exploration.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-space-industry-has-outgrown-mirror-hiring/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74499
Written by Judith Delany
The space sector prides itself on innovation, yet many companies continue to hire from the same universities, networks and professional circles. In an industry built on exploring new frontiers, perhaps it is time to rethink where we look for talent.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-a-month-on-what-stuck-from-luxembourg-space-resources-week-2026/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74415
Written by Remco Timmermans
One month after Luxembourg Space Resources Week 2026, several themes continue to stand out: a growing focus on implementation, the strategic value of data, the expanding role of industry, and a more pragmatic view of the road to the Moon.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-serbia-has-the-talent-now-it-needs-an-ecosystem/ Fri, 29 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74290
Written by Tamara Blagojević
At the first Serbian Space Conference in Niš, one message emerged clearly: Serbia does not lack talent. From CubeSat development and orbital robotics to emerging startups and student engineering teams, the foundations of a national space ecosystem are taking shape.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-orbital-venturing-chapter-2-the-perils-of-a-sheltered-upbringing/ Thu, 28 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74259
Written by Jascha Langenberg
We must confront the uncomfortable reality that Europe’s abundant public funding ecosystem can act as a commercial sedative, sheltering start-ups from the harsh realities of market validation until it is far too late.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-why-educating-the-market-wont-fix-earth-observation/ Tue, 26 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74039
Written by Karolina Sarna
Earth Observation will not become infrastructure because it is explained better. Markets shift when something makes adoption unavoidable. The real drivers are not product improvements, but regulation, liability, and operational necessity.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-what-actually-turns-data-into-infrastructure/ Thu, 21 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74037
Written by Karolina Sarna
Earth Observation keeps calling itself infrastructure. The market behaves as if it isn’t. As long as EO requires explanation, integration, and active decision-making, it remains a product, not the layer beneath it.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-from-microgravity-research-to-market-why-germany-holds-a-unique-position-in-the-emerging-leo-economy/ Tue, 05 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73589
Written by Markus Haeuser
Germany has quietly built one of the most comprehensive microgravity ecosystems worldwide. It is not a vision, nor a future ambition. It is already operational.]]>