ROUND TABLE
Space Economy and Human Space Exploration
The Space Economy refers to all economic activities related to space. It includes things like satellite launches, space missions, Earth observation technologies, satellite communications, and even the development of new industries that exploit space resources. It is a rapidly growing sector that is opening up new opportunities for innovation, trade, and international collaboration.
New industries that exploit space resources are emerging as very promising sectors within the Space Economy.
Some key examples are:
- In-space manufacturing: industries that are studying how to produce materials and components directly in space, exploiting microgravity conditions to create high-quality or innovative products, such as special fibers or drugs.
- Space agriculture: projects to grow plants and food in space, useful for long-duration missions or future colonies on other planets.
- Life support technologies: development of advanced systems for managing resources, such as water, oxygen and energy, essential for human activities in space.
- These industries are still in the development phase, but they represent a very interesting and rapidly expanding sector, with the potential to revolutionize the way we use resources and live in space.
