We will have a “Space economy” by 2030. According to the World Economic Forum, humans will once again walk on the surface of the moon, this time fueled by a revolution in how we move beyond Earth. In 2018, it is the private sector working with the public sector that is fueling the move from the surface of the planet to low-Earth orbit, to the surface of the moon, and on to Mars.
On the bright side, earth observations, by both the private sector and government space agencies, will continue to help countries build climate resilience, provide data to ensure water and food security, and monitor and predict climate refugees. Satellites may be available to order from companies like Amazon, launched on airline-like weekly schedules, allowing affordable access to space from countries and companies from around the world. Downstream application of Earth observation data will continue to grow, spurring innovation and job creation. The new space economy of 2030 will provide huge benefits, from pushing technologies as we find ways to live sustainably beyond our planet, to improved Earth observations to help protect and preserve life back home, to creating new jobs, companies and opportunities.
On the other side of the coin, for the more adventurous among us, who are planning to leave earth’s orbit or be on the first trip to Mars, (like a scientist in one of our recent FutureCo presentations) start saving now. The costs are in the six (and sometimes seven) figures. Some tickets go on sale in 2019, so for now, enjoy the videos, but don’t give up your childhood dream of going into space. Just hope the prices come down.
The links below describe the space economy of 2030 and give us a look of what next year holds for space travel/tourism/exploration. (Read on and find out that the terms mean something different, depending on your perspective.)
A look at space travel in 2030.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/countdown-what-will-2030s-new-space-economy-look-like/
And what does 2019 hold?