Space Game Changers Driving Forces and Implications for Innovation Investments

The advancement of new space technologies, architectures, applications, and emerging business models will continue with many breakthroughs as well as some disappointments. A rapid and relentless pace of change requires timely analysis. This report offers a framework for government decisionmakers as they consider complex space sector innovation strategies and how best to prioritize investment decisions. The framework calls for recognizing innovations that offer market disruption for new users or applications, breakthrough capabilities, or incremental improvements and suggests a strategy for investment and risk management to advance these innovations to game changers that benefit civil, military, and national security interests. Ultimately, a portfolio management approach is needed across the whole-of government to rationalize U.S. government investments in space innovation.