New Space Economy

On August 12, 2026, Virgin Galactic moved the planned start of commercial service for its new Delta-class spaceship to February 2027, replacing its previous expectation of operations beginning during the fourth quarter of 2026. The company attributed the change to additional time required to complete avionics and systems installations on Delta 1. Flight testing is expected to be...

On August 12, 2026, Virgin Galactic disclosed that its initial Delta-class spaceship is expected to enter commercial service in February 2027 rather than during the fourth quarter of 2026. Two days earlier, Rocket Lab gave investors a more cautious description of the schedule for Neutron, its reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. Rocket Lab continues to target delivery of Neutron...

About 66 million years ago, a thin layer of clay containing unusually high concentrations of iridium formed at sites separated by oceans and continents. Researchers eventually connected that layer to the buried Chicxulub crater on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and to the disappearance of non-avian dinosaurs.

On December 27, 2004, a giant flare from the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reached Earth from tens of thousands of light-years away. The flare produced a measurable disturbance in Earth’s ionosphere, even though it did not create a dangerous radiation exposure at the surface. The event demonstrated that a distant stellar remnant can affect Earth when it releases an intense pulse of X-ray...

The space economy is already measured in hundreds of billions of dollars annually, but even that large figure captures only part of space infrastructure’s economic influence. Space Foundation reported that the global space economy reached $613 billion in 2024, representing 7.8% growth from 2023. Commercial activity accounted for most of the measured total. Space Foundation retir...