Ex Terra Extra: Navigating Space Commerce in 2025

How Will the U.S. Economy Shape the Industry?

It's difficult to believe that we are a quarter of the way through the 21st century ... but here we are in 2025. In many ways, the U.S. economy is in turmoil. Budget deficits are historically high, and the Fed is showing reluctance about dropping interest rates because inflation seems to be at least slowing and the job market, which has shown signs of life, hasn't collapsed. Against that backdrop, the space economy seems to be experiencing a mini-boom. While the exuberance of the SPAC era seems to have subsided, there is a lot of interest in the new developments in space commerce. Consumers are being offered an opportunity to connect their existing cell phones to satellites, private companies are sending landers and rovers to the Moon, and SpaceX still has Mars directly in its sights. Then there is the excitement generated by the debut on Wall Street of Karman Space and Defense in an IPO. In may ways, this is more than just business. As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, the future is in many ways unfolding before our eyes.