What capitalism will look like in space

Science fiction author Arthur C.Clarke wrote in 1977: “The impact of telecommunications satellites on the entire human race will be at least the same impact as the advent of the telephone in so-called developed societies.” Today, that prediction has long been reality.

Few people realize how deeply daily life already depends on space infrastructure.If all satellites suddenly failed, navigation systems would collapse.

Smartphones and vehicles could no longer determine location accurately.Weather forecasts would become unavailable.

Airports would descend into chaos without GPS-based time and positioning data.Traffic signals would desynchronize, leading to chaos on the roads.

Supply chains that depend on satellite-supported logistics would disintegrate. Even financial transactions would grind to a halt, as precise time signals via satellites are vital for synchronizing debits and credits.For instance, trading on the New York Stock Exchange relies on time stamps accurate to billionths of a second that are synchronized via satellite technology; without these signals, automated trading systems would fail.And this is only the beginning.

Satellite mega-constellations such as Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper and Sat Net are rapidly expanding internet access across the globe.Nearly one-third of humanity still lacks reliable internet connectivity.

Space-based communications systems may soon change that, with enormous economic consequences.Space capitalism is no longer a vision of the future.

It already exists.Several companies, including SpaceX, Google, Nvidia and Planet Labs, are working on data centers in orbit.To understand where this could lead, it helps to look back 15 years: In 2011, after the Space Shuttle program ended, the U.S.

was no longer able to launch its own astronauts to the International Space Station from American soil using American rockets.It was reliant on outdated Russian Soyuz rockets, and the Russians were demanding monopoly prices.

It was an unco...