Space projects must now make money, not just history

The space sector has fundamentally changed its priorities. It now focuses on customer needs, commercial opportunities, and costs, rather than just technological achievements and national prestige.

For decades, space exploration was largely a government-funded race for technological firsts, often with little regard for cost or market demand. This paper argues that the underlying logic of the entire sector has flipped. Now, private companies and venture capital drive decisions, meaning space projects must prove economic viability and meet customer needs to get funded and built.