Is there space in Space for entrepreneurs?
When one thinks of space, what comes to mind are the glorious scenes of “small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” and the compact yet nimble MERs (Mars exploration Rovers).
Does the space have space for entrepreneurs, for a small country like Singapore; or should entrepreneurs stay outer — space? This often underestimated industry surprisingly packs potential for innovation and entrepreneurship(more commonly know as ‘Space Tech’).
There are speculations of many prospects of what advancement in Space Tech can effectuate. Stating just an example, Space tourism is a much anticipated industry — think Space-hotels and inter-planet vacations.
This special breed of entrepreneurs, or we would like to call Astropreneurs, can venture into three broadly classified fields: Flight, Orbit and Exploration. Of which can be further categorised into more specific fields.
Flight
To fight or flight? Why not both ?— Astropreneurs working on this vertical fights challenges of gravity and viscous drag to propel flights beyond escape velocity.
To voyage through space, the one staple you can never leave out is the vessel of travel. However, it is more than just flight. With lives moving out of the safe harbor of Mother Earth, communication and tracking technology cannot be overlooked.
Orbit
The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) can both accommodate man-made satellites. Satellites serve an array of purposes: communications, monitoring/observation, research, etc.
As the knowledge of Orbit deepens, satellites are growing more self-sufficient, while shrinking in size.
Exploration
Literately exploration of space, the goal is to expand horizons towards uncharted space. Are there natural materials stronger yet lighter than earthly-diamonds? What about a ceaseless source of clean, drinkable water? Just like Dora the explorer, this vertical ventures with a eventual goal of discovering the unknown.
The idea of space is indeed boundless, but there are no doubt milestones that we have to cross before we can take the next step: and our answer? Astropreneurs.
Bringing us back down to Earth, BLOCK71 Singapore is organising a Kopi Chat on the 1st of August — with NASA Astronaut Commander Williams & Dr Bidushi Bhattacharya — Start-ups, Outer-space and you.
We are stoked to have over NASA Commander Jeff Williams, an experienced astronaut who has spent 534 days on board the ISS and executed 5 spacewalks, and also Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya, a former NASA scientist and engineer. She’s currently the CEO and co-founder of Astropreneurs HUB, Southeast Asia’s first space technology incubator.
Hear first-hand about a NASA astronaut’s experiences in Outer Space, the challenges and opportunities in the “NewSpace” industry and how anyone can be the next astropreneur!
Details of the event and RSVP is here!
Are you an entrepreneur working on a cool product and looking for more than just a co-working space ? Do apply for a hotdesk here and become part of the exciting community that we offer at BLOCK71 SINGAPORE.
For more great entrepreneur themed articles delivered weekly to your inbox, subscribe to the BLOCK71 newsletter here!
