New Space EconomyBusiness, Technology, and Trends

The second iteration of the Philippine Can Satellite and Rocket Competition is now officially open for participants in the Philippines. Participants will experience a full exposure of an aerospace mission from concept formulation, systems design, rocket launch operations, payload integration, data acquisition and post-flight analysis. Organized by Indiana Aerospace University, PCSRC 2026 provides an avenue to foster innovation and hands-on aerospace development for students in the Philippines.

Alternate history science fiction uses a familiar world as a baseline, then introduces a divergence - often caused by technology, an unexpected scientific breakthrough, or an intrusion from outside normal human experience. The results can be subtle (a single decision that shifts decades of outcomes) or dramatic (a society rebuilt around different rules). The ten films below share a common interest in how one altered moment can reshape institutions, identities, and power, while still delivering recognizable science fiction elements such as advanced systems, time disruption, engineered weapons, or non-human forces.

The fiscal landscape of global space activity in 2025 represents a pivotal shift in geopolitical priorities. Government expenditures for space programs have reached a cumulative investment of $137.4 billion, a figure that underscores the transition of space from a domain of scientific prestige to a critical theater of economic contest and national security. This analysis examines the budgetary allocations of over 60 nations, delineating the strategic intent behind the numbers. The data reveals a bifurcation in global strategy: while established powers consolidate their hegemony through multi-orbit defense architectures and deep space exploration, emerging actors are rapidly scaling their investments to secure independent access to orbit and downstream data sovereignty.

This article presents a curated selection of best-selling non-fiction books that focus on SpaceX as a company and as a central actor in the modern commercial space sector. Collectively, these titles describe how SpaceX developed launch vehicles, built production and test infrastructure, competed for government and commercial contracts, and influenced launch economics through reusability and rapid iteration. The books span early company history, engineering narratives, policy context, and competitive analysis, offering readers a factual view of how SpaceX operates within the broader space industry.

The domain of space operations is underpinned by a vast, decentralized, and often fragmented architecture of data. A single satellite orbiting Earth is not merely a physical object; it is a convergence of legal filings, radio frequency assignments, orbital trajectories, and mission capabilities. To understand a satellite is to query a disparate network of databases, each designed for a specific stakeholder - from the spectrum regulator in Geneva to the orbital analyst in California.

The exploration of space has transformed from a series of isolated daring feats into a complex infrastructure that supports global communication, navigation, and scientific observation. As humanity launches more hardware into orbit, the need to track, catalog, and understand these objects grows significantly. The General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (GCAT), maintained by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, stands as one of the most exhaustive efforts to document the history of the Space Age.

The United States space economy has evolved from a government-dominated scientific and military endeavor into a diverse, multi-billion dollar commercial marketplace. This sector is not merely about launching rockets or exploring distant celestial bodies; it is an integral component of modern terrestrial existence. The data derived from space assets informs agricultural planning, manages global logistics, powers financial transaction timing through the Global Positioning System (GPS), and enables ubiquitous global communications.

Economic and Corporate Dominance is a durable science fiction theme because it turns an everyday force - money, employment, debt, branding, and ownership - into the main engine of conflict. In these stories, boardrooms compete with governments, contracts replace citizenship, and the “market” becomes an atmosphere characters breathe whether they want to or not. The ten films below share a common thread: each imagines a society where corporate incentives shape public life, and where personal freedom is negotiated through wages, scarcity, and the control of information.

The Essential Reading Series delivers curated lists of books on specific space-related topics, designed for readers who want a focused starting point without sorting through endless recommendations. Each article highlights a carefully selected set of titles and explains what each book covers. The series spans science, technology, history, business, and culture, balancing accessible introductions with deeper, more specialized works for readers who want to go further.

The trajectory of space exploration has long been defined by the physical constraints of the launch vehicle. For decades, the primary design driver for any satellite was the need to fit inside a fairing while surviving the intense acoustic and vibrational loads of ascent. This necessity birthed the era of "containerization" in the late 20th century, a concept borrowed from the terrestrial shipping industry to standardize the interface between the payload and the rocket. The most successful manifestation of this philosophy was the CubeSat, a platform that democratized access to orbit but eventually created a new set of engineering bottlenecks.

The space economy operates within a stratified governance architecture that functions much like a pyramid. At the base lie the foundational international treaties, which provide broad, immutable principles. As one moves up the hierarchy, the mechanisms become more specific, more flexible, and more nationally enforceable. By January 2026, this hierarchy has evolved from a static legal backdrop into a dynamic operational framework, capable of managing thousands of active satellites, commercial space stations, and the nascent lunar economy.

This week in space featured significant advancements in NASA’s Artemis program, multiple commercial launches by SpaceX and Rocket Lab, solar activity leading to stunning auroras, and ongoing ISS operations amid crew transitions. Here’s a roundup of the top stories, focusing on key developments in exploration, commercial space, and science.

The Artemis II mission represents a significant step in human spaceflight, designed as a crewed lunar flyby test flight. Based on schedule information accurate as of today, January 24, 2026, the mission is in its final preparatory stages before embarking on a 10-day journey that will take humans further into space than ever before. The schedule outlined here tracks the progression from current operations at the launch pad through launch, the lunar encounter, and the eventual return to Earth.

For most of space history, getting anywhere meant a violent, controlled explosion. This is the domain of chemical rockets, which burn a fuel and an oxidizer to create a massive, high-pressure plume of hot gas. This method generates enormous thrust, which is the "push" needed to escape Earth's gravity.

The Essential Reading Series delivers curated lists of books on specific space-related topics, designed for readers who want a focused starting point without sorting through endless recommendations. Each article highlights a carefully selected set of titles and explains what each book covers. The series spans science, technology, history, business, and culture, balancing accessible introductions with deeper, more specialized works for readers who want to go further.