The trend of Space Economy encompasses all activities of exploring, understanding, utilizing, and administrating space for various reasons, including science, telecommunications, resource extraction, manufacturing, and tourism. This trend also covers the production, transport, and storage of related materials and products on Earth, in space, and between the two.
By 2040, the space economy is poised to become the next 1 trillion USD market. Reusable parts, new rocket designs, and alternative launch technology are set to reduce launch costs by 95%, opening opportunities for space activities at a new level of magnitude. As numerous satellite constellations are installed, plans for space hotels are announced, and the race to land humans on Mars has begun, the logistics industry will see a once-small niche develop into a sizeable sector as it becomes more common for space-bound products to pass through supply chains.
The trend of Space Economy has a low impact and distant realization for logistics. Currently it is an industry niche, representing only a small percentage of the total throughput of today’s supply chains, and accommodating this has not required substantial change or caused disruption to supply chains. Still, as the space economy develops into a larger market, the trend may shift its position on the Logistics Trend Radar as it starts to carry more weight in impact and realization.