SPACE IS BECOMING NEXT GLOBAL POWER FRONTIER

Nations and corporations race for data, resources, and economic sovereignty beyond Earth

- BY MOUZA HASAN ALMARZOOQI | Special to Gulf News

On Earth and in outer space, humanity leaves no area unexplored in its search for resources and ways to improve life through vital services that raise living standards and open renewed horizons for creativity and innovation.

These range from new applications that provide us with meteorological data, energy solutions, improved communications, support for aviation, and the growth of urban environments, and may even extend to space tourism in the future.

In the beginning, the development of the space economy was limited to governments, particularly the United States and the Soviet Union, with a purely geopolitical purpose until the early 1970s. Afterward, however, the situation changed with the entry of commercial entities into the field, especially in communications, as services shifted towards commercialisation. By the early 21st century, private companies had become partners in space technologies, with governments somewhat stepping back. These companies began funding space investments through investment funds or the private sector, in some cases surpassing even the levels of investment made by states in the space sector.

Arena of competition