By Valerie Buthelezi

The latest report by the World Economic Forum forecasts that the space economy will be valued at US$1.8 trillion by 2035, presenting an opportunity for economic growth and increased sociotechnical development. This economic sector comprises nationalised space agencies and private spaceflight companies, which are focused on space exploration, remote sensing, communication, security and potentially, space mining and settlement.

Space itself is no longer a new frontier to explore, as it once was during the Cold War, but rather an avenue for new scientific and technological developments. The United States (US) and the Soviet Union were the pioneers of spaceflight and exploration, with the successful launch of crewed and uncrewed missions in the 1960s.

The US’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the leader of the pack regarding investment into space, having spent $73 billion in 2023 alone on its National Space Agency and Space Force. This is 9.1 times more than China, which is the second largest spender on space infrastructure, having committed $14.15 billion in the same period.

European states have also made significant budgetary allocations to space infrastructure, having long-established programmes and collaborations, such as the European Space Agency, which focus on collaboration and connectivity amongst continental and regional partners. However, their individual national spending on space is drastically lower than that of the US, with the closest agency being France, which spent $3.466 billion in 2023.

In Africa, spending and investment on spaceflight and space infrastructure have not been as forthcoming as in other regions of the world. In the 2023 budget year, the five largest space agencies in Africa – South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Angola respectively – spent a combined amount of $322 million on their operations, research and development, less than 0.5% of the amount spent by the US government.

The economic reality of developing nations renders national treasuries unable to focus on ‘lofty’ goals such as space settlement or space mining. This is also visible in other parts of the Global South, with Latin America and South-East Asia allocating fewer resources to space than nations in the Global North. Contracting global economic growth has also decentred space, as current terrestrial affairs take precedence over future ones.

Space exploration is becoming increasingly relevant as the 21st century progresses, as complex issues such as climate and environmental change, the introduction of artificial intelligence, the advent of Web3, as well as ever-present geopolitical conflict, all require information from satellites to be addressed adequately.

The uneven prioritisation of space as a developmental asset places African nations in a precarious position, as their space agencies and networks lack the resources to conduct Earth observation or transmit telecommunications independently from established global powers. This hinders their ability to create high-resolution local-scale climate models and projections that could be used to minimise the vulnerability and risks faced during extreme weather events. Internet connectivity

from satellites could improve access to the internet in Africa, as well as mitigate widespread internet outages such as the one experienced in mid-March 2024 due to cuts in undersea cables.

The proliferation of conversations about space colonisation and mining by the Global North harkens back to the era of the Scramble for Africa, when Western powers sought new lands to conquer, exploit and pillage. This emphasises the need for African nations to begin to engage in the development of space policy and regulation, to avoid a repetition of oppression and subjugation in space colonies.

Although the above justification for increased investment into space is valid, it is also important to note that there are continuing calls for action within the continent. In 2016, the African Union developed a collective space strategy and in 2023 the African Space Agency was established. Its headquarters will be in Cairo, Egypt. This new agency is aligned with Agenda 2063, which hopes to place Africa in a more prominent position regarding international governance.

However, the main question is not whether Africa is willing to rise to the challenge and go where no man has ever gone before, but rather whether this can be done fast enough to take advantage of the emerging opportunity to advance its economies, develop its infrastructure and reaffirm its autonomy.