The Emerging Markets Story
Space Commercialization in India, UAE, Australia, and Brazil in 2026
India’s space sector entered its “execution phase” in 2025. By early 2026, the UAE will be exporting satellites from its new regional manufacturing facility, Australia is expanding ground station capacity, and Brazil launches commercial imaging services through international partnerships. This synchronized emergence marks a fundamental shift in the global space economy, where emerging markets contribute not just demand but supply-side innovation, manufacturing capacity, and regional infrastructure that will shape competitive dynamics through 2030.
After years of policy frameworks and infrastructure planning, 2026 represents the year these four nations transition from space aspirants to space producers, with operational facilities, private launches, and sovereign capabilities coming online. The global space economy reached $613 billion in 2024, with 78% attributed to commercial activity. The launch services market alone projects growth from $21.19 billion in 2025 to $57.94 billion by 2033, representing a 13.15% compound annual growth rate. These emerging markets are positioning themselves to capture meaningful shares of this expansion through distinctive commercial models tailored to their regional advantages and development priorities.
India: Startup Ecosystem Meets Industrial Scale
The Indian Space Association officially designated 2025 as the year India’s space sector entered its “execution-led phase,” a characterization that finds concrete validation in the first quarter of 2026. The HAL-L&T consortium’s first fully private Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will launch early in the year, carrying the EOS-10 Earth observation satellite and marking India’s transition from demonstration projects to industrialized space production. This milestone represents the culmination of India’s 2020 space sector liberalization and the operationalization of IN-SPACe, the single-window authorization framework designed to reduce regulatory friction for private entities.
