Context Definition

The Space Economy is the full range of activities and use of resources that create and provide value and benefits to human beings in the course of exploring, understanding and utilizing space. The "space economy" was estimated at about $251 billion in 2007, according to a report by the Space Foundation released in 2008. More than 60 percent of space-related economic activity came from commercial goods and services.

More:  Space Foundation - OECD Forum on Space Economics

Insight Articles

• The Value of the Space Economy (NASA)
  
  
• Space Economies and Economics (The Space Review)
  
  
• The Space Tourism Industry in 2030 (Space Future)

Strategic Visions

• The Space Report 2008
  Released by Space Foundation - 2008 (0.7MB )
  
  
• The Space Economy at a Glance 2007
  Released by OECD - 2007
  
  
• Space Tourism Market Study
  Released by Futron Corporation - 2006 (2.2 MB )
  
  
• Space 2030 - Tackling Society's Challenges
  Released by OECD - 2005
  
  
• Space Economic Data
  Released by OSC - 2003 (3.4 MB )

Top Resources

• News:  SpaceNews - BBC - CNN - NYTimes - MSNBC
  
  
• Articles:  SpaceRef - SpaceReview - SpaceFuture
  
  
• Resources:  Futron - OSC - Space.Com - HobbySpace
  
  
• Wikipedia:  Space Agencies - Space Technologies
  
  
• Blogs:  SpacePragmatism - SpacePolitics - CosmicLog

Visionary Speaker

Burt Rutan: Entrepreneurs are the Future of Space. In 2004, legendary spacecraft designer Burt Rutan won the $10M Ansari X-Prize for SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded craft to enter space twice in a two-week period. He's now collaborating with Virgin Galactic to build the first rocketship for space tourism.

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