Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Test bedding economic strength of low Earth orbit, the International Space Station.
Credit: NASA

NASA has issued an informative new report titled the Economic Development of Low Earth Orbit.

The document is edited by Patrick Besha, Editor, Senior Policy Advisor, NASA and Alexander MacDonald, Editor, Senior Economic Advisor, NASA.

This wide-ranging collection of papers ranges from “Selecting Policy Tools to Expand NASA’s Contribution to Technology Commercialization” and “Protein Crystallization for Drug Development: A Prospective Empirical Appraisal of Economic Effects of ISS Microgravity” to “Venture Capital Activity in the Low-Earth Orbit Sector” and “Directing vs. Facilitating the Economic Development of Low Earth Orbit.”

Space entrepreneur, Robert Bigelow, explains his expansive plans for space.
Credit: Space Foundation

Viable, sustainable economy

According to the editors, in order for a viable, sustainable economy based on human spaceflight to emerge in low Earth orbit (LEO), a number of elements must be present, such as:

• The marketplace dynamics of supply and demand must exist.

• The overwhelming reliance on government demand and public procurement must be transitioned to a market in which industry and other private sector demand is the primary market force, met by industry supply.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster takes flight.
Credit: Blue Origin

Great experiment

That transition from government-led to private sector–led human spaceflight activity in LEO will constitute “a great experiment” in the development of American spaceflight capabilities,” and the careful management of the dynamics of this transition will be of paramount importance,” suggest the editors.

“This collection of papers,” explains Besha and MacDonald, “identifies a number of important policy questions that will be of rising importance as NASA transitions human spaceflight in LEO to the private sector, as well as a number of economic analysis methods for addressing those questions.”

To take a look at this new document, the Economic Development of Low Earth Orbit, go to:

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/economic-development-of-low-earth-orbit_tagged_v2.pdf