What Happened
Infrastructure Needed for Orbital Commerce to Flourish
The space industry is facing significant challenges due to the growing number of satellites in low Earth orbit, leading to increased congestion and debris. To address these issues, the industry must transition to a space-to-space economy, which involves consolidating resources on orbit and producing space infrastructure locally. This approach requires the development of orbital depots, processing technology, and societal systems, including funding mechanisms and regulation. According to SpaceNews, the space-to-space economy is an emerging and distinct part of the broader space economy.