Strategy for the Space Economy

Clarity where missions end and markets begin

Built for the space economy. Applicable wherever capital, policy, and technology collide.

The Space Economy Is at an Inflection Point

What happens now will determine whether the space sector reaches market-driven hypergrowth — or remains stagnant, mission-locked, and government-dependent.

Governments will fund the next generation of space infrastructure. Markets will decide whether it compounds.

This Point-of-View explains how early investment, architecture, and policy choices lock in one path or the other — and how to tell the difference before capital is committed. Read our Point-of-View

How to Engage

Space Market Intelligence Program

Ongoing clarity for investors and operators navigating the space economy

The Space Market Intelligence Program is the primary way clients engage with our work.

It provides continuous interpretation and judgment as space markets evolve — helping clients distinguish real demand from narrative, understand how government and commercial signals are interacting, and make informed decisions before consensus forms.

Not a project or a report, but an ongoing intelligence and judgment function designed for environments where uncertainty compounds and misreading market direction is costly.

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Strategy Call

A 60-minute Reality Check

For a specific, time-sensitive decision, start with a Strategy Call.

This is a paid working session designed to pressure-test assumptions, surface real constraints, and clarify what actually matters — quickly.

Often used as an entry point into the Space Market Intelligence Program.

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Research and Commentary
Latest analysis on Frontier Technologies and the Space Economy
February 9, 2026
Axiom Space: Productizing Human Access to Orbit
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

Why mission-funded space infrastructure succeeds — or quietly fails to become a market

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February 3, 2026
Diagnostic: Is This Actually a Market?
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

A Diagnostic for Founders, Investors, and Operators in Frontier & Dual-Use Technologies

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January 30, 2026
Missions → Markets: The Signal (01)
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

A Strategic Intelligence Brief for Founders, Investors, and Operators in the Space Economy

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January 29, 2026
2025: Record Investment in the Space Economy
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

2025 Saw Record Space Investment: Are We Building Markets or Locking In Mission-Dependence at Scale?

Read INSIGHT
January 20, 2026
Optionality Dies in the Architecture Phase
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

Why Dual-Use Is a Design Problem, Not a Customer Mix Problem

Read INSIGHT
December 23, 2025
Space-Based Data Centers: When Mission Logic Meets Market Formation
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

Why Structure, not Technology, Will Determine Whether Space-Based Data Centers Become Markets

Read INSIGHT
December 18, 2025
When Mission Logic Broke: Lessons from the SpaceX Inflection Point
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

Missions are not markets. Capabilities are not customers. Execution is not demand.

Read INSIGHT
December 12, 2025
What the K2 Fund Raise Signals About the Move from Missions to Markets
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

Productization as Precursor

Read INSIGHT
December 1, 2025
Why Space-Native Markets Matter
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

Clarifying the path to a resilient, market-driven space economy

Read INSIGHT
November 28, 2025
Mapping the Space-Native Economy
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

A visual framework for the markets where end-user demand drives real revenue into the space sector.

Read INSIGHT
November 24, 2025
Missions vs. Markets: The Space Economy Needs a Better Map
Dan Garretson, Ph.D.

A demand-first framework for understanding where value is actually created — and why the current definitions fall short.

Read INSIGHT
Areas of Expertise

Space &
The Space Economy

Commercial intelligence, EO, communications, and space-sustaining markets.
Road

Mobility & Infrastructure

ITS, autonomous systems, transportation strategy, and digital operations.
Gear

Defense & Dual-Use Technology

Emerging deterrence markets, ISR, and dual-use commercialization.

Emerging Technologies

AI, autonomy, quantum, and the tech foundations shaping next-generation infrastructure.