The New Space Wonder Economy: How can It Benefit Life on Earth?
May 2024 Northern Lights: A Unique Global Event Reconnecting Humanity and Our Planet with the Wonders of the Sun & Space
2024 was a year for the books as we experienced unprecedented Northern Lights taking place throughout the world in unusual latitudes, far more south than where we usually observe them in the Polar regions.
Tower Bridge, London MAY 2024
Solar flares generating an extreme, G5-level geomagnetic storm produced what is now known as “The Great Aurora Show” in various parts of the world around May 10/11, 2024. Usually limited to more northerly latitudes such as Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia or Siberia, the intense solar storms caused a rare display of Northern Lights which were visible as far south as Mexico in the Americas, or Italy in Europe.
Scientists believe that this recent bout of severe space weather that we had not seen in 20 years may rival the most intense auroras of the past 500 years. But it was also the intensity of the colours that lit up the night sky which were unusual. People all over the world could admire the natural phenomenon in awe-inspiring rays of green, violet, pink and crimson. Even the inhabitants of the northern latitudes who are used to witness the Northern Lights on an almost daily basis said that they had never seen them being so spectacular.
The dazzling event sent the world into a frenzy with people recognising it was not only a magical spectacle but also probably a once in a lifetime experience. At a time when our human activities in the Space surrounding the Earth are becoming more intense too, this aurora event certainly reconnected us with the wonders of the universe and reminded us that the geography of our planet extends well beyond our atmosphere. It also emphasised in the most beautiful way the preciousness of our Blue Planet which protects us from solar radiations through its unique magnetic field.
Shifting Perspectives: Space as an Ally rather than an Enemy
Space is a fascinating universe that has captured humanity’s imagination and dreams for millennia. A lot has happened between October 4, 1957 when the Soviets launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, and today with the emergence of “The New Space”.
Space exploration has always pushed the boundaries of what humanity ever thought possible. It was true yesterday; it is still true today; and it will certainly be true tomorrow. Space exploration is entering a new era of innovation and change that is so big that none of us can truly comprehend where it may lead us. In the 50s, 60s and beyond the Space Race was fuelled by the tensions of the Cold War. At the time, only global superpowers and mostly government funding had the resources to even imagine a space programme.
Today, while the three biggest space agencies remain NASA in the USA, Roscosmos in Russia, and the ESA in Europe, 72 countries now have space agencies, including China, Japan, and India. But one of the biggest shifts we are witnessing is the entry and rapid development of private actors into Space. Led by another “Big Three” constellation of private entities backed by well-known billionaires including SpaceX from Elon Musk, Blue Origin from Jeff Bezos, and Virgin Galactic from Richard Branson, the number of global private companies with space operations and services has grown exponentially in the last decade.
What are these private actors offering and what is their added value? With the development of new technologies, new uses of space, and decreasing costs have made space flight far more accessible. Private space companies now launch satellites offering a whole host of services, resupply the International Space Station, and even offer spaceflights to private citizens. The later - Space Tourism - has probably made the biggest media headlines, dividing public opinion in the context of climate change. Despite the validity of the concerns, it would be limiting to stop at it and Space commands a higher perspective.
The Benefits of Space Exploration: from Climate Change to the Future of Humanity + Life on Earth and Other Planets
In the who's who of the climate fight and David versus Goliath, give me the Billionaires. But are they David or are they Goliath? And what if the space race was also contributing to us winning the climate race? And what if space competition between space and climate activists could evolve into space collaboration just like it did following the Cold War in the past? Together we are stronger and Space does command a higher perspective that goes beyond the concerns of space tourism for the ultimate benefit of the future of our planet and the whole of humanity.
So how do we / can we benefit from the use of Space?
Higher Angle = Broader Outlook
View of Earth Rising from the Moon on December 24, 1968
As counterintuitive as it may feel at first, space does offer us the opportunity to think outside the box, the pretty blue box (or dot) being Planet Earth in that case. Just like anyone practicing mindfulness for their own growth, you’ve got to be able to elevate your self ‘above’ to gain perspective and make progress too. Nothing encapsulates this better than the first photograph of the Earth taken in colour: “Earthrise”.
Earthrise is a photograph of Earth and part of the Moon's surface that was taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission. Nature & wilderness photographer Galen Rowell called Earthrise "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken". Another author called its appearance the beginning of the environmental movement. Fifty years to the day after taking the photo, William Anders observed, "We set out to explore the moon and instead discovered the Earth”.
The picture has been so influential that decades later it still inspires the new generations, including Earthrise Studio, a very influential digital media company dedicated to communicating the climate crisis through research, design and filmmaking founded by twins Jack and Finn Harries and Alice Aedy. They remind us that “When it was published, ‘Earthrise’ told a story about our planet’s fragility and uniqueness that shifted perspectives and helped catalyse the global environmental movement”.
Satellite Watch = Monitoring Earth
Most of what we know about climate change today is thanks to the satellites orbiting the Earth and their role remains crucial not only in the fight against climate change, but also when it comes to protect our planet and life on Earth. Called “Earth Observation Satellites”, these satellites are used as a crucial tool for scientists to monitor Earth from orbit, including observing climate patterns, biodiversity, animal tracking, or environmental changes and damage.
Satellites play a crucial role in helping billions of animals on Earth for example by investigating changes to their environments and tracking them directly. It can be very hard to study and follow animals, especially when they live in harsh environments such as polar bears in the Arctic or penguins in Antarctica for instance. But thanks to satellites, we are able to track them, asses their movements or migrations, and assist in their protection.
Satellites are essential in responding and monitoring oil spills too, something that is a lot more common than we know. Thanks to their specialised sensors and instruments, they are used in early detection of oil spills and allow us to locate the boundaries of the spread. Additional satellite technology can be used to not only monitor the extent of the spill but also to predict its impact, as well as to support the clean-up operations and identify priority areas.
A WWF report estimates that around 8 million tons of plastic enters our oceans every year leading to fatal entanglement or ingestion by many animal species, including seabirds, cetaceans, and porpoise species. When it comes to detecting rubbish in the oceans, satellites are currently our leading technique. Satellite technology can detect and map debris, monitor ocean currents to predict the debris’ travel path, support clean-up operations and monitor both the sources and effects of the debris.
On top of all these benefits, satellites can also help us monitor deforestation and forest fires, stop overfishing, catch illegal fishing and oversee other natural disasters such as volcanoes, tsunamis and cyclones that could endanger lives.
Space Mining = An Alternative to Earth & Deep Sea Mining
Our modern societies and lifestyles where technology and innovation drive progress are heavily reliant on “Critical Minerals”. They power everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to renewable energy systems or advanced medical technologies. Denying or overlooking their importance works against us as they are the foundation of our technological breakthroughs and the keys to a sustainable future.
To decarbonise our economies at the level that is required, we need to rapidly deploy clean energy technologies such as electric, wind or solar. These energy transitions imply a significant increase in demand for minerals. A concerted effort to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement (climate stabilisation at “well below 2°C global temperature rise”, as in the SDS) would mean a quadrupling of mineral requirements for clean energy technologies by 2040. An even faster transition, to hit net-zero globally by 2050, would require six times more mineral inputs in 2040 than today. It is a lot!
As countries accelerate their efforts to reduce emissions, they also need to make sure that energy systems remain resilient and secure, and establishing viable Critical Minerals Strategies has become critical indeed. The solutions are multiple including accelerating a circular economy of critical minerals which would imply increasing recovery, reuse and recycling rates + resource efficiency, to alleviate pressure on primary supply. But the pressure is clearly mounting on less eco-friendly practices such as underground mining and deep sea mining.
In “The Salt of the Earth” documentary, Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado shares apocalyptic scenes at the Serra Pelada mine in Brazil during a gold rush as massive and as mad as the great 19th century gold rushes in Australia and America. After a nugget of gold was found on the banks of a remote river, 100,000 miners converged on the area and dug by hand in a huge pit. In Salgado’s photographs, the scenes look like a modern Dante’s Inferno. In the images, there is a desire to be rich, there is the madness of the human spirit, there is the dark depletion of the ground.
Once mined, you can’t rebuild the ground. The practice is not circular and can lead to further climate change, deforestation/habitat destruction, pollution, soil erosion, human-wildlife conflict, and the loss of biodiversity. When it comes to the deep seas, although they have been mostly protected thus far by the ISA (International Seabed Authorities), our ocean environments are facing a new additional threat of gigantic magnitude.
In January, Norway opened up for deep-sea mining in the Arctic and the country was among the first countries in the world to open up to commercial seabed mineral mining. Under the pressure of environmentalists, the decision has been put on hold until new regulations are being worked on and they are expected to be ready at the beginning of 2025, but we don’t know yet what they will be and what will be allowed or not.
So what could be an alternative solution? Enters: Space mining. The solar system is known to be a treasure trove of critical minerals from platinum metals found in asteroids to rare earth elements on the moon. Mining them could help alleviate the pressure on our planet. With advances in space technology and costs optimisations, we're on the edge of the next gold rush, but this time the fever is taking place off-Earth.
When it comes to space agencies, NASA launched a mission in October 2023 to the metal-rich Psyche asteroid, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Their Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon in 2025 and calls for an orbiting lunar space station, includes plans to excavate the lunar surface to search for iron and rare earths. Precious metals including platinum and palladium may also be present below the moon's surface.
With the development of the commercial space, the prospect of mining asteroids and the moon has also inspired a wave of space startups eager to claim metal riches and bring them back to Earth. A significant impulse was given in 2015 when US President, Barack Obama signed a new law - the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act - allowing US private citizens and companies to exploit space resources including minerals. Several startups are aiming to launch space mining within about 10 years, targeting near-Earth asteroids.
Just like it is the case for the deep seas today, Space belongs to everyone. We will probably witness new laws and regulations as the interest for off-Earth mining grows. For now, the Outer Space Treaty states that: “Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free for exploration and use by all States without discrimination of any kind, on a basis of equality and in accordance with international law, and there shall be free access to all areas of celestial bodies”. Now, granting a priority right to search and recover comes as a limit to the freedom to explore and use.
Space Innovation = Technology Advances
Space and our activities in Space are often overlooked in our everyday lives because they are out of sight and we may think they don’t concern us as much as our immediate environments. But the truth is Space plays a major role in our lives already and probably even more in the future, and that includes solving the triple crises of climate change, waste & pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Overcoming the challenges of working in space has led to many technological and scientific advances already and these advancements have provided noticeable benefits to us on Earth in many areas including health and medicine, transportation, energy and environment, information technology, or industrial productivity.
The space economy is currently booming in an unprecedented way. We are witnessing significant technological advancements, increased investment, and a growing interest from both the public and private sectors forming a new Space ecosystem that connects the future of Space and Earth in ways we can’t totally fathom today yet.
Webb and Hubble's Views of Spiral Galaxy NGC 3351. NGC 3351 is 33 million light-years away in the constellation Leo.
Credits Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team
The potential benefits of this booming space economy for Earth are vast and multifaceted. It is projected that the global space economy, valued at over $650 billion today, could surpass $1.8 trillion by 2035 (McKinsey). This growth will be driven by continued investment in space infrastructure, such as launch services, satellite constellations, and space stations, as well as emerging sectors like space mining, lunar and Martian exploration, and even space-based solar power.
Beyond the immediate economic gains and jobs creation, the advancements and technologies developed for space exploration have the potential to address some of the most pressing challenges on Earth. Who knew the sun could help us develop powerful and clean energy when Galileo spotted sunspots for the first time in 1612? We need to listen to the voice of space scientists as much as remain open to the ambition of space visionaries. The images of the astronauts landing on the moon for the first time in 1969 should remind us that we are far from being done with the wonders of space and their impact for us, back on Earth.