Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier

Your guide--using the compelling stories of changemakers and the tools of economics--to the transformation and future possibilities of the business and economics of space.

Space is a place of unparalleled possibility for humanity, and it's undergoing a revolution. A wave of companies led by gutsy entrepreneurs is unlocking opportunities that fire the imagination and open up new business models. No, it's not hotels on Mars or day trips to orbit (yet), but it's an awe-inspiring transformation driven by innovative technologies, creative approaches, hard work, and--for the first time--market forces. Above all, this revolution is uncovering the simple but unfamiliar truth that space is a place: a place where countries, markets, and each of us can play a vital role in realizing some of our biggest, boldest dreams.

But we won't succeed through dreams alone. The space economy is just that--an economy--governed by the same laws of supply and demand that apply here on Earth. The authors, who teach a highly popular course on the topic at Harvard Business School, bring the revolution in space to life through players you know--like SpaceX and Blue Origin--and many you may not, like Astroscale, founded by a Japanese IT executive who quit his job to start a company to clean up space debris. They also bring to bear fundamental tools from economics to understand how the market in space is forming, how it's fast becoming a source of value for businesses across industries and for society as a whole, and how we can best ensure that its growth benefits us all.

With clarity and rigor, Weinzierl and Rosseau get past the breathless hype to explain what's real, what's not, what comes next, and how you can be part of it.

Matthew Weinzierl is the Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and serves as Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA program, where his award-winning research and teaching focus on economic policy and the business of space. He is the founder of the Economics of Space project at HBS and serves as an adviser on space to government agencies, companies, and investors. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Brendan Rosseau is a recognized leader in the space industry, where he specializes in strategy. He previously served as a teaching fellow and research associate at Harvard Business School and as a consultant to the US Space Force. He has degrees in economics and astronomy from Williams College and is dedicated to using space technologies to bring about a more prosperous, peaceful, equitable, and exciting future.