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ESA envisions a space resource utilization program for the coming nascent space economy

Diagram depicting ESA’s program for space resource utilization such as harvesting lunar water and oxygen for rocket propellant and space manufacturing. Credits: Angeliki Kapoglou, ESA

A proposal submitted by ESA’s Angeliki Kapoglou, has been posted on the ESA website that defines a process for evaluating maturing technologies by the European space agency in cooperation with companies in the region. Called ESA Space Resources Utilisation Program, the proposal identifies the potential for a commercial market for water, oxygen and other products sourced from the Moon within the next decade as multiple space agencies plan for humans to return to the lunar surface. The program will position European countries and businesses to be major players in economic activities such as off-Earth propellant production, on-orbit refueling, autonomous in-space manufacturing using resources harvested from space, and robust construction on the lunar surface to support a sustained human presence.

The mission statement of the program is:

“Enable Europe through ESA to be well placed to benefit from the identification, acquisition, and development of space resources with important benefits for society on Earth. SRU will also provide an important reduction on the cost of other space missions…

We propose a series of small and rapid mission activities, to build capability and demonstrate key technologies for the utilisation of space resources. This will ensure that Europe is positioned for the Solar System gold rush that is coming and which will likely kick start with a cislunar economy with benefits for Earth. This constitutes a timely response to a rapidly evolving scenario for space resources.”

The program is expected to cost 100 million € and deliver key findings before the end of 2022.

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The current state of the U.S. space industrial base

Credits: USSF-DIU-AFRL

The U.S. Space Force, Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Innovation Unit just completed a workshop on the state of the U.S. space industry. The virtual event, hosted by New Space New Mexico, brought together more than 120 representatives across the federal government, industry, and academia to access the current health of the America’s space industry and to provide recommendations for strengthening that industrial base. The resulting report called “State of the Space Industrial Base 2020” has just been released this month.

The workshop focused on 6 key areas thought to be the locus of future space industry activities:

  • Space policy and finance tools
  • Space information services
  • Space transportation and logistics to, in and from cislunar space and beyond.
  • Human presence in space for exploration, space tourism, space manufacturing and resource extraction
  • Power for space systems to enable the full range of emerging space applications
  • Space manufacturing and resource extraction

Recommendations included:

  1. Industry should aggressively pursue partnerships with the US government to develop and operate joint commercial, civil and defense space capabilities. These partnerships should jointly fund developing capabilities that benefit from but are not heavily reliant on US government investment and revenue for their commercial viability.
  2. Entrepreneurs with innovative and potentially dual-use technologies must improve the protection of their intellectual property from unintended foreign assimilation, including protecting their networks from cyber exfiltration attempts, and avoiding exit strategies that transfer intellectual property to foreign control hostile to US interests.
  3. Businesses should engage across the US educational system to guide and develop the future STEM workforce to fuel the future space economy, to include funding for undergraduate scholarships/loans for STEM students, internships and providing space professionals to support instruction in space subjects.
  4. Industry should improve ties and partnerships with domestic and allied parts, subcomponent and subsystem manufacturers to strengthen trust and resilience in space supply chains.
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Redwire adds Made in Space to its nascent portfolio

3-stage illustration of a Made in Space Archinaut platform assembling a satellite platform much larger than itself. Image credit: Made in Space

Made in Space, who’s mission is to develop state-of-the-art space manufacturing technology to support exploration, national security, and sustainable space settlement, has been acquired by Redwire, a company just formed earlier this month by AE Industrial Partners (AEI) through the acquisition of Deep Space Systems and Adcole Space. Redwire aims to be a leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space architecture. With the acquisition of Made in Space and its Archinaut platform designed to manufacture large structures in space, AEI is well positioned for solving the complex challenges of future space missions needed for space settlement.