New vision for the value of space use

摘要

Why does humanity go to space? Is there a fundamental economic value for space endeavours? The paper willreview briefly the past and present uses of space. Examining various facets of space applications it will showthat three fundamental and perennial values can be derived from the experience of space uses: addingtransparency to the world, securing ubiquitous connections to the global information grids and space being alsoa unique "open" test-bed for innovative global demonstrations/services prior to the possible deployment ofcorresponding ground infrastructures. It will show also that to exploit massively these added values of space withthe potential to develop an economic sector comparable to the uses of the other non permanently habitablemedia, ie air and high oceans, three new enabling steps are necessary and made possible by technologicalachievements:1. Collaborative space: up to now the dominant model in space is a single spacecraft, delivering its service toground in full autonomy. The emerged concept of several spacecrafts communicating together, assisting eachother to finally deliver a more efficient and complete service to earth offers the possibility to modify drastically theeconomic model. A new deal can be implemented between public implication in space and private orlocal/sectoral enterprises: publicly funded physical infrastructures (eg mother satellites) can be installed inspace. They will serve private/applications spacecrafts that would fly in formation around the mother satellite.They could be provided by these publicly funded infrastructures with telecom, energy and guidance services.The entrepreneurial satellites, benefiting of these services would thus be extremely simplified, making theiraccess to space drastically more affordable and agile.2. Digital Space: It will be shown as well that the interactions between the booming digital technologies andspace has huge potential, provided spacecrafts serve this digital world with adapted services (such as real timeand internet compatible services)3. Energetic space: following the information resources, energy will be travelling soon through space via massfree electromagnetic beams, this will enhance in particular collaborative space capacities but also will contributeto space physical securitization, basis to any regular and massive use of space.Valuing the use of space needs space industry to quit the cradle of its infancy. To do so, understanding theundisputable long lasting added value of space, providing the services that the market needs and finding the wayto enlarge drastically the community for which space is accessible are the steps proposed here. No doubt thatthe path is not guaranteed and that this will be the playfield of pioneers, not the one for followers.