https://spacewatch.global/space-economy-1/space-economy-featuring-articles/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:12:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 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/2026/06/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.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-space-economy-star-wars-promised-and-what-we-actually-built/ Mon, 04 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73552
Written by Judith Delany
Star Wars imagined a seamless, connected space economy. Today’s €11.7 billion market tells a different story. Infrastructure constraints, uneven investment, and limited consumer access reveal how far reality still is from science fiction.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-orbital-venturing-chapter-1-stop-falling-in-love-with-cool-space-tech/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73311
Written by Jascha Langenberg
European space start-ups regularly fail not because of their technology but because they solve non-existent problems.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-europe-at-the-moon-partner-passenger-or-power/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73004
Written by Gilles Rabin
Artemis may carry European hardware, but not European strategy. As the U.S. pushes forward alone, Europe faces a choice: remain a subcontractor, or become a space power in its own right.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-humanity-is-returning-to-the-moon-but-why-is-nobody-watching/ Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72528
Written by Judith Delany
Artemis II could be one of the most important milestones of our generation. Almost nobody outside the space sector seems to notice — or care.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-from-subsidies-to-contracts-europes-launcher-gap-exposes-a-demand-crisis/ Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:00:50 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72476
Written by Markus Haeuser
Europe's space industry doesn't lack rockets, capital, or ambition. It lacks demand. At Munich, launcher companies delivered a blunt message: we don't need subsidies — we need contracts.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/03/spacewatchgl-analysis-esa-council-345-alignment-delivered-execution-pending/ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72175
Written by Torsten Kriening
The 345th meeting of the ESA Council concluded yesterday against the serene backdrop of the Bernese Oberland, yet the atmospheric calm of Interlaken belied the high-stakes recalibration occurring within European space policy. I]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/03/spacewatchgl-opinion-from-dialogue-to-action-lessons-from-the-second-saudi-space-debris-conference-in-riyadh/ Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72018
Written by Olga Volynskaya
As space activity grows, so does the risk from orbital debris. The Second Saudi Space Debris Conference in Riyadh explored how cooperation, regulation, and innovation could help secure the long-term sustainability of Earth’s orbit.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/03/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-space-future-depends-on-smarter-funding-frameworks/ Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72011
Written by John Wensveen, PhD
Europe has built an extraordinary space ecosystem—but the rules of the game are changing.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/03/spacewatchgl-opinion-a-fable-of-two-roadmaps/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=71919
Written by Karolina Sarna
This is the story of a company that never changed its mission. The mission statement still says the same thing it said fifteen years ago. Nobody updated it. Nobody needed to. Nobody noticed.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/03/spacewatchgl-opinion-10-women-shaping-the-future-of-european-space/ Sun, 08 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=71792 The European space sector is evolving rapidly. New technologies are emerging, investment is growing, and an expanding commercial ecosystem is creating new opportunities. Behind this momentum are remarkable people whose work is shaping the future of the industry. On International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate some of the incredible women behind this progress.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/02/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-18th-european-space-conference-new-priorities-for-the-space-sector-in-a-shifting-geopolitical-landscape/ Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=71235
Written by Dr. Camilla Acquarone
If you have been attending space conferences for some time, you may remember when the dominant themes revolved around space sustainability, space debris mitigation, and space technologies supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. ]]>