Digital Trend Alert
examining hot topics in the high-tech, entertainment and digital industries
Old Space vs. New Space: the cosmic revolution
by Carol Ingley, president
Media Mogul Enterprises
Digital Trend Alert
Week of March 17, 2025 through Week of April 21, 2025
A New Era in Space
For decades, space was the ultimate VIP club—exclusive, expensive, and strictly government-run. NASA, Roscosmos, and the European Space Agency (ESA) called the shots, launching billion-dollar missions with the kind of slow, methodical precision that only a giant bureaucracy can provide.
It should be clear. This VIP club–that relied on many government contractors–created the space industry. The achievements were extraordinary in every way.
All these early space players were daring. They were innovative and accomplished. As important, they nailed many firsts, including the first men on the moon, a stunning success.
But, being government led, the journey progressed in a slow but steady fashion. One might call it Traditional Space but the vernacular that has evolved has been Old Space. That term will be used here but it was exciting for the era, nothing old about it.
But times have changed. Welcome to New Space, where private companies are shaking things up, innovation moves at warp speed, and space is becoming a playground for visionaries, billionaires, and dreamers alike. The shift from Old Space to New Space isn’t just about rockets—it’s about the future of humanity, technology, and even business itself.
Buckle up. The space race just got a reboot. Here we take a closer look at Old Space and then dive into the excitement of New Space.
Old Space: the Age of Giants
Old Space was the golden age of government-led exploration. Think Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and the ISS (international space station) — legendary missions driven by national pride, scientific curiosity, and Cold War politics.
Early government contractors in the US space programs included Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Chrysler, General Electric, IBM, McDonnell Douglas, and Rockwell, among many.
But there was a catch: spaceflight was painfully slow, outrageously expensive, and accessible only to a select few. Here are some hallmarks of Old Space:
🚀 Big Budgets, Bigger Bureaucracy – Governments poured billions into space programs, but red tape and slow timelines were the norm.
🌍 National Security & Science First – Space was about geopolitical dominance and pure research, not profit.
🛠️ Mega-Projects with Decades-Long Timelines – Missions like the Space Shuttle took years to develop and flew for decades.
💰 Few Players, High Costs – Private industry mostly acted as contractors, with little control over innovation.
Old Space gave us some of humanity’s greatest achievements—but it was a slow, expensive, and exclusive club. Enter the disruptors.
New Space: the Rise of the Mavericks
New Space is leaner, faster, and way more ambitious. It’s driven by companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Virgin Galactic, Airbus, Arianespace, Rocket Lab, Relativity Space, Axiom Space, and Firefly Aerospace. This list includes just a very few of the companies with aggressive and innovative space plans. Note there are names from Old Space who are transitioning into New Space. Again, many companies are seeking to carve out their place in space.
These New Space companies operate via a mix of private funding, reusable rockets, and commercial ambitions that would’ve been unthinkable a few decades ago.
Yet New Space only happened because of Elon Musk and his company SpaceX’s innovation, vision and drive. On the remote Pacific island of Omelek in 2008, with minimal infrastructure and a bare-bones launch pad, along with doubt by many critics of the viability of a private company entering space, the Falcon 1 launch succeeded against all odds. This set the stage for New Space and the rapid growth of SpaceX.
What makes New Space different includes: speed & agility; lower costs, higher stakes; beyond governments; and bold, wild ideas.
🔥 Speed & Agility – What took NASA years, startups now do in months. SpaceX perfected rocket landings in under a decade.
💸 Lower Costs, Higher Stakes – Reusable rockets (like Falcon 9) have slashed launch costs, making spaceflight more accessible.
🌍 Beyond Governments – Space is no longer a government monopoly—startups, billionaires, and even universities are joining in. Big opportunities lie in services that can be provided by satellites in orbit. Satellite megaconstellations are offering innovative services including broadband to the unserved.
💡 Bold, Wild Ideas – Mars colonies, asteroid mining, space hotels… this is the future New Space is building.
From commercial space tourism to satellite megaconstellations to Mars colonies in the future, New Space is transforming space from an elite government operation into a bustling, fast-moving industry.
The Future: Where Do We Go from Here?
The shift from Old Space to New Space is more than just an industry change—it’s a revolution. We’re moving toward a future where space is:
✅ Cheaper – More competition means lower costs and more opportunities.
✅ Faster – No more decades-long projects—rapid iteration is the new norm.
✅ Open to Everyone – Entrepreneurs, scientists, and even everyday people will have a stake in space.
The space race is back and, this time, the finish line isn’t the Moon. Key countries/areas with companies that have big commercial plans and activity in the New Space arena include the United States, China, Russia, Europe, India and Japan. For now. The list will grow.
Summary
Yet the space race isn’t just back as bigger, bolder, and wilder than ever. This time, the finish line is…well, there really isn’t a finish line. It’s too big to finish. At this stage, it’s all about missions and services to and from the Earth, the Moon, Mars, the asteroids, the outer planets, and every frontier we once thought was out of reach. Whoa!