Space stations, the private gold rush

It seems that the prospect does not discourage, indeed, the opposite is more true. “I worked at Google – commented the cro of Axiom – and I have the perception that this moment, in the space sector, repeats the path of the internet. At its beginnings, between 1993 and ’94, no one predicted phenomena like Uber, Netflix or Airbnb, but everything was made possible thanks to companies that chose to invest billions in operating systems, in the talent of many young people, in infrastructures, such as fiber for example. They anticipated the entire investment and split it. Today many think that the internet is free: it is not. The Internet was and is very expensive. For everyone, tomorrow, to enjoy the treasures of space the same attitude of Google is needed today and the Amazons since then”.

A fitting analogy, that between the space industry and some pioneers of Silicon Valley, not by chance also used by Bezos or Elon Musk: the future digital unicorns contributed to the technological infrastructure necessary for your business and they exploited the existing in a new way (the credit card, the personal computer, the postal system). So they built upon it, in turn creating hitherto unimagined businesses. Space stations in low orbit they will form the basic infrastructurewhich will facilitate the business of third parties, who will be offered the opportunity to exploit a unique environment in their own way.

“We are not looking for a market, but founding an economy – commented Andrei Mitran, director of strategy and business development at Northrop Grumman, a historic company in the sector -. There are some markets that build on each other, a network effect which we believe may be generated from space. We’re wondering what’s being done on Earth that could be done better beyond the atmosphere. We have identified at least six different markets and although it is impossible to quantify their growth today, we are optimistic”.

The Four American Stations

The first is the Axiom Station. “Construction is underway”, reports the site of the Houston company. A construction not included in NASA’s Cld program (it has a funding of 400 million dollars), its interior is signed by the French designer Philip Stark (“to truly contemplate our place in the Cosmos“). The first form, made in Turin by Thales Alenia Space, should connect to the ISS by the end of 2025, forming an extension of it from the bow hatch of the Harmony module. The last of the four modules is scheduled to launch in 2027, then, upon decommissioning of the International Space Station, Axiom Station will be separated to become an independent outpost. Perhaps the first, of a commercial nature, in history.