In the decade between 2015 and 2025, private investment in the space sector underwent a radical expansion, growing twelvefold to reach an annual $12.4 billion. This surge reflects more than just a maturing market; it signals the transformation of orbit from a scientific frontier into a foundational layer of global commercial and national security infrastructure. Recognizing this shift, Seraphim Space has convened its first Global Space Futures Advisory Council to navigate a landscape that is becoming increasingly multipolar and geopolitically fraught.
The council, chaired by SES co-founder Candace Johnson, is tasked with addressing the structural frictions that accompany such rapid growth. As the sector moves beyond the era of the International Space Station toward a more fragmented and competitive commercial ecosystem, the group will weigh questions of regulatory alignment, orbital sustainability, and the role of satellite data in climate monitoring and artificial intelligence. The objective is to move beyond the "new space" hype toward a durable strategy for a sector that now underpins energy resilience and national defense.
This strategic pivot comes at a time when space is no longer the sole province of a few legacy superpowers. According to Rob Desborough, a general partner at Seraphim, the council’s insights will inform how capital is deployed in a world where space technology is "increasingly commercial and geopolitically consequential." By wrestling with the philosophical and political implications of orbital expansion, the council aims to provide a roadmap for the next decade of investment in a domain where the boundaries between public interest and private enterprise are permanently blurred.
With reporting from Payload Space.
Source · Payload Space
