New Space and Agile Innovation: Transforming Networks, Organisations and People

摘要

Space science, exploration and industry is undergoing a transition from state and corporate monopolies towards "New Space", an altogether more democratised and de-centralised enterprise based on academic research and small-to-medium-size enterprises (SME). This innovativeness is built upon a significant change in the Space industry itself, on one hand, by cheapening and miniaturisation of space technology, and on the other hand, by an increasing openness and accessibility of space data. Furthermore, these developments are expanding into areas which were previously peripheral or entirely excluded from the Space Sector. This paper is outlining findings from an in-depth study based on a two-fold enquiry into the innovation networks and the direct effect they have on SME's new product development, based on a case study of Space Sector in Scotland, which is now transitioning from an emergent network to a world-leading powerhouse. The findings of my research are showing that the New Space industry has indeed brought about a new open innovation paradigm, with a loosely co-joined vertical value chain being integrated in a dynamic (eco)system of players, which are more agile to respond to new customers and markets and who have largely adapted the innovation process to address these new opportunities. Interestingly, the New Space firms' partners are far more concentrated in public and academic sector and the concept of Agile Space has emerged as a unifying force across the diverse and dispersed players in this arena.