Interplay of the Public and Private Sectors in the Development of Outer Space
Interplay of the Public and Private Sectors in the Development of Outer Space

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the results of a study of the interaction between the public and private sectors in the field of outer space exploration. The purpose of the study was to identify the peculiarities of interaction between public authorities and private companies involved in space activities. It has been established that all leading space powers create favorable conditions for attracting private companies to space exploration. The main areas of space activity that are most attractive for private investment are identified: 1) production, launch and operation of spacecraft and launch vehicles; 2)production and operation of ground equipment; 3) space research; 4) satellite observation of the Earth; 5) TV and radio broadcasting and lease of repeaters; 6) satellite internet; 7) mining in space; 8) space tourism; 9) space waste management; 10) cargo delivery to Earth orbit, etc. The current state of the space industry in Ukraine is determined. The main obstacles to space commercialization in Ukraine are also highlighted: 1) legal regulation lags far behind and does not meet the needs of space activities in Ukraine; 2) international agreements are not in line with the level of national regulation of advanced countries and new global trends; 3) Ukraine’s space industry is focused mainly on less profitable areas of the space economy, which reduces the attractiveness for private investors; 4) there is no clear distinction between national interests and commercial activities in space; 5) mechanisms for coordinating private, state and public interests in the context of space commercialization are either absent or extremely ineffective; 6) there are no effective mechanisms for attracting foreign capital to space exploration. The authors identify two main competitive models of the interplay between the public and private sectors in space exploration: “American” and “European.” It is emphasized that both models can serve as a model for the space policy implementation in Ukraine. However, given a number of considerations, it is determined that the “European” model is more optimal.

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