The Road to $3 Trillion: Decoding the Expanding Space Economy
The space industry is no longer just about rockets and planetary exploration. A diverse range of applications that support our daily lives—from communications, positioning, and climate monitoring to autonomous driving and financial services—are growing based on "space infrastructure." This article provides an overview of the "space economy" and its latest trends.
The Rapidly Expanding Scale of the Space Economy
The space economy reached $613 billion in 2024 (approximately 97 trillion yen), an expansion of about 8% year-over-year.
The Space Foundation analyzes that the market size in 2023 was $570 billion, with private revenue accounting for 78% of the total. Space Foundation
https://www.spacefoundation.org/2024/07/18/the-space-report-2024-q2/
The pace of expansion is about twice that of global GDP. McKinsey and the World Economic Forum project it will reach $1.8 trillion (approximately 280 trillion yen) by 2035.
Three Drivers of Growth
Lower launch costs - SpaceX's reusable rockets are accelerating price competition
Lower satellite manufacturing costs - Mass-produced small satellites are achieving costs of tens of thousands of dollars per unit
Lower data processing costs - Cloud and AI are making satellite data analysis accessible
Active Investment Trends
In Q2 2025, $7.7 billion was invested in 113 companies as reported by Space Capital.
In Europe, government-backed funds are actively making large-scale investments under the banner of "strategic autonomy," while in the United States, startups in low-Earth orbit communications and space transportation are conducting consecutive funding rounds.
The Rise of Emerging Segments
The lunar economy and on-orbit services are areas of focus. NASA's "Artemis program" and Japanese private lunar landers have entered the demonstration phase, and the "infrastructure maintenance" market—including satellite repair, refueling, and debris removal—is growing. Additionally, business models for greenhouse gas observation and disaster prediction are expanding due to the inflow of ESG investment.
Initiatives in Japan and Asia
In Japan, ispace's lunar landing mission and Astroscale's debris removal demonstration are attracting attention. The government has also increased the space security budget by 15% year-over-year and is strengthening public-private partnerships. ASEAN countries are also advancing Earth observation programs, and the Asian market is becoming a "huge frontier for satellite data demand."
Conclusion: Toward an Era Where Space is Commonplace
The space economy is shifting from a "foundation building" phase to a "mass application" phase. Moving forward, we are entering an era where terrestrial businesses such as finance, agriculture, and mobility will be redesigned based on space infrastructure. By viewing space not as a "distant future" but as the "industrial foundation that comes after the internet," we can get ahead of new business and investment opportunities.
Reference Articles
〇Global Space Economy Tops $600B For The First Time (2025-07-23)
〇Space Foundation Announces $570B Space Economy in 2023 (2024-07-18)
https://www.spacefoundation.org/2024/07/18/the-space-report-2024-q2/
〇Space Investment Quarterly: Q2 2025 (2025-07-10)
〇ESA Report on the Space Economy 2025 (2025-03-15)
〇Space: The $1.8 Trillion Opportunity for Global Economic Growth (2024-04-08)
〇Start-Up Space 2025 (2025-02-01)
