As a result of our research activities investigating “New Space”, we found that some important questions had not yet been examined. This was for example the case of private investment and entrepreneurship trends outside Europe and the United States. It was in particular found that whereas much attention has been paid to New Space paradigms emanating from Western countries, trends in other regions have been overlooked.
Yet, a more careful examination of global commercial and industrial dynamics in space would reveal an equally important need to look eastward, and more specifically at the emergence of potentially disruptive trends in the Asian region. Partly inspired by the undertakings of U.S. astropreneurs, and partly driven by national strategic considerations, countries such as Japan, China, India and South Korea have started to actively support the emergence of innovative space businesses, with an increasing number of entrepreneurs now kick-starting space ventures to market end-to-end solutions in both the upstream and downstream segments. Governments in these countries are also increasingly supporting the development of commercial services for tasks traditionally under government responsibility and therefore repositioning their agencies according to new mandates.
Even though some analogies can be drawn between the development of New Space trends in America, Europe and Asia, the regional contexts of space activities remain very different. Spacefaring countries in Asia have developed their own approach and ecosystem for space activities, rooted within their broader political, industrial and economic national landscape. The development of New Space trends in Asian countries can therefore only be fully appreciated in their respective domestic contexts.
For this reason, and with the overarching objective to provide a comprehensive investigation of the New Space dynamics unfolding in major Asian countries, this report leverages contributions from experts based in the region offering informed insights on developments in their respective countries including:
- Public strategies and plans to support the emergence of New Space
- Insights on commercial space sectors and New Space ecosystems
- Perspectives on major trends and prospects for growth
The report offers both a macroscopic analysis of the commercial space ecosystems in these countries and an assessment of the national policies and tools to steer the development of a robust commercial space sector. The countries covered by the report are:
- Japan,
- China,
- India,
- South Korea,
- Malaysia,
- Thailand
The report is comprised of nine thematic chapters, each offering educated suggestions and analyses on New Space dynamics in these six major countries. The authors of the chapters are experts based in these countries with the most diverse professional profiles – from research analysts and space lawyers to astropreneurs and officials from public institutions – analysing national New Space dynamics from industrial, technical, legal and policy angles.