The Private Space Industry 2050-2100 Report Released

by Ben Blutrich

Wikistrat is pleased to release the final report from its recently concluded crowdsourced simulation “The Private Space Industry 2050-2100.”

Nation-states have to date dominated the exploration – and exploitation – of space, even as private companies had involvement all along. As private companies (both old and new) expand the scope of their operations – and ambitions – across this century, some observers compare the expected growth of the private space industry to that seen by commercial air travel and logistics across the past century. In that trajectory, it took roughly a half-century of experimentation and “boot-strapping” to achieve the modern industry that we now take for granted.

Early this year, Wikistrat ran a fourteen-day simulation in which over 75 analysts from around the world collaboratively explored the nature of the private space industry (PSI) in the second half of the 20th Century. Will its activities be similar to those of today (primarily selling goods and services to governments and quasi-government organizations), or will multiple entrepreneurs be operating new businesses in space? Will operations beyond Earth’s orbit be like they are today (confined to expeditions financed by a decreasing scientific budget), or will profitable firms operate on the moon and beyond?

The simulation’s summary report, compiled by Dr. Bruce Wald, synthesizes over 35 trajectories for a variety of existing and future companies collaboratively explored by over 75 Wikistrat analysts.