New Pilot Projects 2023-2024

A Customer Discovery-Led Systematic Analysis Study of the U.S. Space Economy

Who are the customers of the space economy and what are their needs?

Team lead: Greg Autry, Director, Thunderbird Initiative
for Space Leadership, Policy and Business

This project seeks to study the current and near-future state of the space economy, reporting on areas of opportunity for space actors. The emphasis will be on understanding the drivers that will influence the economic sustainability of a global space economy by identifying specific current and near future customers of space data and space-manufactured products. The study will emphasize analysis of businesses that have not previously been seen as customers of space in industries such as agriculture, medicine and materials.

Lessons from the Past

How can lessons of the past inform our decisions for a better space future?

Team lead: Elena Rocchi, Program Head and Clinical Associate Professor of Architecture, The Design School

History serves not only as a mere chronicle of past events but also as a guide that imparts universal lessons and transformative processes for the future of humanity. As we stand at the intersection of a remarkable era of exploration, technology and finance, we must learn from the past to inform our decisions. Humans’ historical expeditions over the centuries offer a fitting analogy for our present circumstances. However, as these expeditions were often driven by the desire for profit and conquest rather than the pursuit of knowledge and discovery, we must examine their triumphs and tribulations to develop effective frameworks that inform philosophical and legal approaches to future space exploration.

The aim of this project is to draw insights from past exploration missions and analyze them to inform the establishment of the first human settlement on the moon or Mars. This project will produce a documentary examining the successes and failures of Earthbased exploration missions and leveraging the latest knowledge and technologies.The team will host an event that walks the audience through the lessons learned in a fun and engaging way.

Lunar Orbital Maps

How can we build effective maps of space (lunar) orbits?

Team lead: Mark Naufel, Executive Director,  ASU Luminosity Lab

As activity increases around the moon, understanding and characterizing the orbital environment of cislunar space will become important. The regions around the Earthmoon Lagrange points, in particular L1 and L2, have been the subject of interest for logistics, utility and security functions ranging from communications relays to refueling stations, situational awareness, low energy transfers, orbital research stations and more. Although we tend to think of this as a technical matter — characterizing specific orbital characteristics to inform mission planning or efficient transport — this invisible geography will increasingly become a landscape on which human geopolitics will play out. As we begin to engage with the notion of being a planetaryscale civilization with the Earth-moon system as our home, it is appropriate to consider the ways in which these environments may influence and inform the design of new patterns of human activity.

This project seeks to create maps of cislunar orbital space to serve as a reference point for discussion and analysis. The initial phase of the project will focus on customer discovery to uncover how this cartography is best leveraged to influence policy, norms and behaviors.

Lunar Rights and Resources

How do we establish real property rights in space?

Team lead: Mark Naufel, Executive Director,  ASU Luminosity Lab

The issue of lunar property rights is a complex and contentious matter that involves questions about the legality and feasibility of commercial and international entities extracting and utilizing resources from the moon. As space exploration technologies continue to advance, it will become increasingly important to establish clear and equitable laws and regulatory frameworks for the management of lunar property rights in order to promote sustainable and responsible space activities.

The goal of this project is to leverage existing lunar resource maps, prioritize the analysis of a few key resources such as water ice, and develop a web-based simulation tool to explore the physical location of these resources and how these regions may be impacted based on certain policy parameters. The initial phase of the project will focus on ideation by dialing in the specific resources to be evaluated and having an understanding of which policy parameters are most influential on keeping lunar mining accessible, equitable and sustainable.

Space Economy Camp for Writers

What could a sustainable, non-exploitative economic model for space look like?

Team lead: Joffa Applegate, Associate Research Professor, School of Complex Adaptive Systems

Space provides a unique opportunity to imagine different futures not driven by the extractive paradigm that has fueled humanity’s expansion across the planet. Economists are already thinking about sustainable economic models for space. By empowering storytellers to imagine worlds and futures with new economic models, we can use the power of narrative to bring sustainable economic models for space into the public consciousness and into the conversations about policy.

The purpose of this project is to equip storytellers with a solid foundation of economic theory so they can imagine and create future worlds built upon new economic models for space. To achieve this, the team will bring together a small cohort of storytellers of different media and economists for an in-person interactive “Space Economy Camp.”

Space to Solve Climate Change

How can we rapidly accelerate the utilization of space resources and in-space manufacturing to address climate change?

Team lead: Mark Naufel, Executive Director, ASU Luminosity Lab

Climate change is a global issue that will require innovative solutions. One potential avenue for addressing this challenge is leveraging space, which offers unique opportunities for monitoring, mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change on Earth.

The goal of this project is to research and evaluate how climate impacting activities on Earth can use space and its resources to minimize such impact. The team will conduct a rigorous ideation process to develop new ideas for using space to address climate change on Earth. The set of concepts will be down-selected by expert judges to identify the best solution for development.