Since the early 1980s the cost of delivering a kilogram to orbit has been decreasing exponentially. It started at about a 100,000 dollars a kilogram. SpaceX has had a huge impact on this cost curve. And its anticipated over the next couple of years that Starship will bring that cost down below 100 dollars per kilogram placed in orbit.
What does this mean? It means “space” is one of the fastest growing parts of our economy. The orbital economy. The number of satellites is rising quickly and should cross 15,000 by the end of 2025.
With the rapid increase in satellites, a need for orbital compute and digital storage is also emerging. Declining costs for delivery to orbit and a new generation of orbital stations increase both research and commercial opportunities.
Off-planet infrastructure is high cost, and most of it suffers from low utilization. A solution is needed to sublease these assets and drive up efficiency.
The Space Markets protocol begins with satellite communications. It will expand to a range of orbital infrastructure including a wide set of digital services, delivery, and station subleasing. The same protocol can address broader asset leasing in traditional markets -- an expansive use case.