Space is open for business

When we talk about space, many people think about space tourism and rocket launches. However, highly sophisticated space technologies (spacetech) are creating an explosion of business opportunities on Earth. And we believe we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible.

When it comes to space, we believe collaboration is vital, so we have been bringing together key players from across the space ecosystem to help break down the opportunities of spacetech and its applications for business. Over the last few years, we’ve helped clients lift-the-lid on space, paired them with exciting spacetech start-ups and helped them launch proof of concepts. Read on to find out more…

Last year, we collaborated with Sifted to produce their inaugural spacetech report. Spacetech: The big business of space on Earth sheds light on the growing momentum of investment in the space sector, uncovers the ‘big bets’ of spacetech across Europe and showcases the startups leading the way. Importantly, it also puts into focus the role of space across different industries.

Today, the majority of spacetech centres around communication, navigation and observation. Tomorrow’s frontiers are in-space manufacturing and R&D, tourism and renewable energy.

This report demonstrates the breadth of spacetech startups already operating in Europe. Some are building rockets, others are building satellites, and many are using the data to provide insights to businesses and end-users. However, what’s clear is that no one company can do it alone. Collaboration is key. Download the report to find out more.

To help open-up the conversation further, we invited key experts from across the space ecosystem - from leading investors to promising startups - to share their thoughts, insights, and predictions on the role of spacetech for non-space organisations (from banks to pharmaceuticals), now and in the future.

Watch our Earth 2040: Predictions for the future of spacetech film to find out what this means for the coming decades. Only got one minute? Watch the trailer here.

Through our spacetech accelerator alone, we’ve seen solutions to help organisations use satellite data to verify the value of carbon credits, enable near instant insurance pay-outs, monitor infrastructure and physical assets at scale, and even track marine mammals from space…

Through satellite data and AI, we are collaborating with Whale and Dolphin Conservation and SPACEWHALE to track whales from space – pioneering new technology for marine conservation more broadly. Whilst our pilot with Bardsley England and Treeconomy, explored how we can use space technology and data to help us measure carbon storage in orchards to help tackle climate change.

Clearly, spacetech doesn’t exist for the sole benefit of the space sector, it offers non-space organisations the opportunity to innovate. However, to harness the value of spacetech, we believe collaboration across the space ecosystem is key.

It can be challenging to stay up to date with emerging tech trends and capabilities. At Deloitte, we bring together and connect different players in the space ecosystem. We understand that these connections and a thriving space ecosystem are more important than ever.