Space has entered a new phase of economic and strategic importance. Long associated with scientific ambition, national prestige and security, it now underpins an expanding range of services, infrastructures and capabilities that are increasingly embedded in the functioning of modern economies and societies. As public and private investments grow, and as more countries seek to build or strengthen their presence in the sector, space is becoming more firmly established as both an area of economic opportunity and a domain of public policy relevance.
This evolution brings with it a new set of policy considerations. Reliable access to orbit, the development and operation of strategic capabilities, and the ability to maintain secure, resilient and sustainable space-based systems are no longer concerns confined to specialised communities. They are becoming more closely connected to broader questions of industrial competitiveness, technological capacity, infrastructure resilience and long-term economic performance. At the same time, the growing scale and diversity of space activities raise important challenges, including governance related to orbital environments and the need for effective international co-operation.
These developments are closely relevant to OECD’s wider work on science, technology and innovation. Across its analysis of productivity, industrial transformation, critical technologies and resilience, the OECD has consistently highlighted the importance of understanding how technological domains reshape economic structures and policy priorities. In the case of space, this requires stronger evidence, improved measurement and a clearer understanding of how space-related investments, capabilities and applications diffuse across economies and societies.
The Space Economy at a Glance contributes to this effort. Drawing on the OECD’s long-standing analytical and statistical work in the field, it provides a concise overview of key trends, actors and policy issues shaping the space economy today. In doing so, it aims to support governments and stakeholders in assessing the role of space in innovation, growth, resilience and international co-operation, and in situating the space economy within wider economic policy objectives. The report draws on the longstanding activities of the OECD Space Forum, which brings together governments and space agencies to improve the international evidence base on the space economy, as well as the collective work on science, technology and innovation policy carried out under the Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP).
Jerry Sheehan
Director, OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation