The UN has proposed a framework for space-emerging economies in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Atie, et al, 2020). By increasing their nations’ space activities and showing efforts into ..
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The UN has proposed a framework for space-emerging economies in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Atie, et al, 2020). By increasing their nations’ space activities and showing efforts into establishing strategic goals, these emerging space economies can close the gap between them and their space-faring nation counterparts, increasing their socio-economic growth and development. The benefits of space technology and applications to socio-economic development and space industry development and support have become increasingly dependent on the global agendas on sustainability and development. Part of the UN’s agenda for the UN Sustainable Development Goals of Space2030 include the space economy, focusing on the progress of space-derived economic benefits; space society, to advance the societal benefits of space-related activities; space accessibility, allowing access to space for all; and space diplomacy, which strives to build international cooperation and the governance of space activities (Atie, et al, 2020).
In Latin America, some nations have made efforts into space and in recent years took a step to collaborate with one another. The Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) was established in 2021 signed by 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries. ALCE will be an international organization that will coordinate cooperation in space technology, research, exploration, and related application that strengthen the comprehensive and sustainable development of a space program that will benefit the region (Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, 2021). The agency will be based in Mexico and some of the signing nations include, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Costa Rica, among others.
Emerging space economies have different rates of involvement and contribution to the space sector, however, despite different objectives and challenges, investing in the space economy contributes to the socio-economic development and growth of these countries. The main objective of this research is to investigate space in emerging economies, specifically nations in Latin America, as compared to focusing on the whole global scale. In our research, we study Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina through the lens of the Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Environmental, and Legal (PESTEL) macro-environmental framework. Through literature reviews, subject matter expert interviews, and survey data, we investigate both the benefits of space technology and applications to socio-economic development and space industry development and support. The conclusions drawn from this analysis are critical to understanding the future opportunities for space in emerging economies.
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