Exponential technologies at the edge of space

Space is the next frontier—and everyone is staking their claim. As Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson compete to become space travel tycoons, companies across sectors are jockeying for leadership in the nascent global space economy.

Nokia is working with NASA to build the first lunar cellular network. Toyota is partnering with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to develop a pressurized lunar rover. And NASA recently awarded several lunar mining contracts in the interest of building industrial capabilities for the future.

What’s driving this flurry of commercial investment? The imminent exploration of the lunar surface.

NASA’s Artemis mission, which plans to return humans to the moon in 2024, is advancing the agency’s goal of launching sustainable, long-term missions by 2028. In preparation for a more permanent human presence on the moon, 8 countries signed the Artemis Accords in October 2020, seeking to establish “safety zones” designed to prevent conflict while enabling research and commercial operation in space.

Disruption and the democratization of space

The space economy is expanding, and no one wants to be left behind. In Q2 2021, private investment in space companies hit a new high of $4.5 billion, which puts 2021 on track to surpass the record-breaking $9.1 billion raised in 2020. And while the space industry is valued at roughly $350 billion today, Morgan Stanley estimates that it could surge to over $1 trillion by 2040.

While the space race is on, no organization can win it alone. Public agencies, private companies, and scientific researchers must share knowledge and resources to enable long-term operations in the harshest environment humanity has ever known.

“The ‘we’re in this together’ ethos of COVID-19 will hopefully last, and our industry can translate that into an understanding of how space can be used to protect life on Earth.” —Clifford W. Beek, CEO, Cloud Constellation Corp.

Building an ecosystem of partners with different specialties is also key to solving the innumerable problems that come with living outside the Earth’s atmosphere. For instance, researchers are currently examining how long-term exposure to elevated levels of radiation impacts the genetic makeup of people and plants. They’re also identifying microbes they happen to find in flight.

But downlinking all that data takes a lot of time. On Earth, devices and systems in remote locations experience challenges related to network and data latency, maintenance, movement of large data, and delivering code. This gets amplified when dealing with systems in earth’s orbit and beyond.

An edge solution designed by IBM has helped slash that lag time. Using a DNA sequencer the size of a candy bar, astronauts can now analyze samples on the International Space Station (ISS) rather than sending data to Earth for processing. This innovation, powered by Spaceborne Computer-2, cuts the time it takes to complete this task from 6 to 8 weeks to 6 to 8 hours.

“AI is critical in order to handle the sheer volume of Earth observation data that is coming down every day.” — Dr. Tanya Harrison, Director of Science Strategy, Planet Labs.  

Technological advancements, paired with unparalleled growth in the global space industry and innovative public-private partnerships, are defining a new landscape for a new space age, leading the way toward the democratization of space.

And people around the world are excited for what this means for the future of humanity. In a recent IBV survey, 93% of global consumers said they were confident that advances in science and technology will help advance space exploration to improve life on Earth in the next five years.

Read the full report for a closer look at how exponential technologies are laying the groundwork for the next generation of space exploration—and what that could mean for life on Earth.