Top 5 SpaceTech Trends to look out for in 2023

Space has always fascinated mankind, from the idea that the stars control our destiny to the idea that we may one day need to migrate our species off our current planet to survive. Recently, there’s been an uptick in both private and public investment in space exploration, with critics decrying this investment as misplaced resources that could otherwise be diverted towards making the Earth a better place to live rather than vanity projects focused on the vastness of the universe.

Most of this debate is rooted in ignorance. Much of modern space exploration is focused explicitly on technological advancement with modern-day implications. Space exploration is as much about making today’s world better as it is about tomorrow’s.

At HelloSpace, we’re entering the forefront of a lot of this debate. In February of 2023, we opened our first Ground Station thanks to a partnership with Ankara University. Our first test satellite Istanbul will be launched along with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 in May of 2023, and 4 more of our satellites are scheduled to launch in October of 2023. We care a great deal about the direction of space exploration, and we couldn’t be more excited to be one of the few companies who play a critical role in shaping what’s to come.

So with that in mind, we’re going to discuss some of the most exciting trends and projects we’re looking forward to in 2023.

Trend #1: The Increasing Spread of Miniaturized Satellites

Not so long ago, there were relatively few satellites in space at all, and those that did exist were large, clunky, and complex. Now, there are literally thousands of small satellites that are cheaper to make and more flexible to maneuver to accomplish the same basic functions that large satellites were for. In particular, small satellites are ideally suited for creating proprietary wireless communications networks, given both their size and cost effectiveness. Of these, cube satellites have been especially popular because they can be standardized in a way that means they can be produced on a larger scale than before.

HelloSpace will be front and center as a part of this rising trend. In May of 2023, we’ll be launching our Pocketqube “Istanbul” on SpaceX’s Falcon9 rocket, providing worldwide coverage from space through narrowband data communication. Istanbul represents a test qube, and by October 2023, we plan to launch four more satellites into space.

Trend #2: An Increased use of AI, Machine Learning and Data Analysis

This is an easy one – just as AI and machine learning are beginning to dominate every industry down here on Earth, they’re set to do the same for the universe around us. And, just like on Earth, the amount of data we have that requires advanced analysis is part of the reason for the boom. The number of images coming from satellites is absolutely massive, including the ability to discover new stars. AI has helped us discover about 200 times the number of protostars that we were able to beforehand.

But AI and machine learning are now a part of every aspect of space travel, from building satellites themselves to monitoring how well systems run. As all the data coming in needs to be organized and prepared for learning, data annotation will also grow in importance in the spacetech industry.

Trend #3: An Increased Focus on Orbital Debris Mitigation

Another important us of AI is in preventing collisions in space. We’ve already highlighted the increasing number of satellites and minisatellites that get put into space every year. But despite this, there hasn’t been a single collision since 2009. This is because now AI can control traffic and make sure that every piece of equipment floating around in space is accounted for and tracked, ensuring no more catastrophic accidents happen up in space.

Because “catastrophic” really is the best word to describe these collisions. NASA estimates that the destruction of the Chinese Fengyun-1C spacecraft in 2007, and the aforementioned accident between American and a Russian spacecraft in 2009, increased the amount of orbital debris by 70 percent.

This debris is both clogging up space, and also the increased risk that what has at some point gone up, must eventually come down – as a Chinese rocket did in 2021 and thankfully crashed into the 85% of the world that is not inhabited. But clearly the 25,182 space objects, a significant percentage of which are no longer in use in any way shape or form and are simply debris, pose a serious problem. They risk crashing into Earth, they risk clogging space for legitimate use, and they risk causing more accidents up in space. At the extreme end, there’s a risk of “the Kessler syndrome ” occurring, in which so many pieces of junk will accumulate that the Earth’s orbit will become unsustainable.

Funding for projects and innovative technology to remove debris is moving forward quickly as a result, with the ClearSpace-1 (AKA the cooler sounding “Space Claw”) set to launch in 2025, following Astroscale’s successful Elsa-D launch in 2021. There are proposals to use magnets or lasers – none of which are particularly cost effective as yet – to clear up debris in space. Innovation and investment in this field is one of the sure things to keep apace as we enter 2023.

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Trend #4: Resource Mining in Space

One other potentially innovative way to prevent space debris, or at least prevent the clogging of satellites, is simply to never bring them back but make them able to sustain themselves by mining resources from asteroids and using them to continue accumulation and exploration. We already know that various asteroids contain iron, nickel, gold, and platinum – key materials in construction and electronics. Helium-3 in the rock and soil of the moon is exciting for a world in which nuclear fusion is common, and oxygen can be found (but difficult to extract) as well. Ice is expected to exist on both the moon and mars, meaning again that it could be used to support life or to extract hydrogen and oxygen. Pulsar Fusion claims it will begin testing in 2023, and many other companies are busy working on both the ability to mine resources and figure out ways to use them.

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Trend #5: Space based solutions to climate change

As more satellites enter orbit, there are literally hundreds of pictures taken of the Earth every single day from all around the world. The data from all of this is giving us an unprecedented understanding of the global shifts in the world’s climate. Many scientists believe that this data can be analyzed and used more precisely to measure ways we can combat climate change here on Earth.

But beyond that, space provides an ever exciting model for harvesting greener energy to be used on Earth. Beyond just mining extra resources from asteroids and planets, the Caltech Space Solar Project (SSPP) plans to use 2023 to establish a mission to harvest solar power from space and either store it or beam it back down for use on Earth. Obviously, if solar energy from space can be used on Earth, it represents a potentially limitless supply of energy to rid the planet of dependence on fossil fuels.

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Key Takeaways

While it’s been over 50 years since man first (and last) walked on the moon, space is still an incredibly underexplored frontier. We’ve spent much of that 50 years gaining a better understanding of what we don’t know, and 2023 represents the year in which we’ll finally go about trying to see how we can really utilize the vastness of the universe before us. In the short term, this means projects that provide the Earth with connectivity completely impossible with normal terrestrial networks. Hello Space is joining this global project by launching our Pocketqube Istanbul to provide IoT network using cutting edge technology around the globe. We also plan to discuss our findings and the future of space projects at two crucial fairs: GITEX?Dubai and IAC?Baku at the end of 2023. The trends you’ve read about today will be the highlights for all interested parties, and our participation will mark our ability to place our own flag on the future of space travel and exploration.

Other uses of space include the ability to harness masses of data coming from the thousands of satellites to make life better for those of us stuck down here on Earth. Resource mining and solutions to climate change are two other exciting potential uses for space – and we’ve yet to really scratch the surface of what’s achievable. Of course, with the increased ability to utilize space, we have to remember our responsibility in using it sustainably, which includes cleaning up debris and ensuring that no more accidents occur. 2023 is just as exciting a frontier as space itself, and we can’t wait to see what the human race discovers about the world and ourselves in our next journey around the sun.