Space technology is evolving rapidly and is becoming one of today’s most interesting technology areas. In 2022, we will see many new developments and advances. Here are some of the trends that will reshape space technology over the next year.

1. THE 5 BIGGEST SPACE
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS FOR
2022

2. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
THE 5 BIGGEST SPACE TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
FOR 2022
Space technology is evolving rapidly and is becoming one of today’s most
interesting technology areas. In 2022, we will see many new developments
and advances. Here are some of the trends that will reshape space
technology over the next year.

3. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in space travel and the
technological innovation driving it. Billionaire space tourists Jeff Bezos and
Richard Branson made the headlines in 2021, while Elon Musk has his sights set
on the colonization of Mars.

4. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
However, it's worth remembering that these high-flying schemes often end up affecting our lives
in more down-to-Earth ways – scratch-resistant glass, GPS, LEDs, memory foam, and heat-
resistant metals have changed the way we live and were all developed thanks to space
exploration. Many of the principles of remote medicine – which has surged in popularity during
the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic – were initially conceived to assist with space travel. And there’s
no telling how many lives have been saved by smoke and carbon monoxide detectors – also first
conceived as space technology!
So, where will space travel take us in 2022? Let's take a look at some of the most exciting
implications of humanity continuing to venture beyond the final frontier…

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TREND 1: REUSABLE ROCKETS
Something of a holy grail for space travel at the moment, reusable launch systems for orbital
vehicles are set to dramatically lower the cost of leaving Earth’s atmosphere, opening the doors to
many exciting space initiatives which, while theoretically possible, are currently too expensive to be
practical. It will also make routine space missions, such as launching satellites and resupplying the
International Space Station, far more economical. SpaceX’s SN20 will attempt to launch the first
successful orbital flight using a reusable rocket in early 2022, pending approval from the US FAA.
SN20 is the most powerful rocket ever built, and is the craft that SpaceX hope will eventually take
humans to Mars.
Later in the year, Blue Origin will attempt to launch its reusable two-stage New Glenn rocket into
low Earth orbit – this rocket is designed to be used up to 25 times and eventually will carry
humans as well as cargo.

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TREND 2: BACK TO THE MOON!
Travel to the moon has not been top of the space exploration agenda for the
past few decades, but that has changed as a number of strategic reasons to
resume lunar landings have been identified in recent years. Mostly these will not
call for humans to visit the barren satellite and will be conducted by
autonomous landers and exploration vehicles. One key reason for the renewed
interest is that it is thought it will be a good testbed for many technologies that
will eventually help us make our way to Mars.

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The focus of these missions will be on sending "small payloads," mainly
autonomous instruments designed to locate, extract and process elements from
the lunar surface. As well as the US, which is planning to launch its Commercial
Lunar Payload Services mission – a collaboration between NASA and Astrobotic
Technology, Russia, Japan, and India all plan to deliver robotic landers to the
lunar surface during 2022.

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TREND 3: SATELLITES
Satellite launches make up the majority of commercial space activity, and that
won't change as we go into 2022. The big drivers of increased activity in this
field are the ever-falling cost of putting satellites into orbit and the growing
number of use cases for the data they can provide. GPS and satellite imagery is
an essential tool for many aspects of day-to-day life, and new uses – for
example, tackling pandemics – are emerging all the time.

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Satellites are becoming smaller and lighter, meaning that even start-ups can now take
advantage of the technological capabilities. In fact, reports in recent years have found
that the cost to a business of launching a satellite is becoming comparable to
launching an app. China's Galaxy Space has developed and launched 1,000 small
satellites into space for its customers in industries including aviation, marine, and
vehicle manufacturing. Meanwhile, another Chinese company, ADA Space, is planning
a network of 192 satellites that will use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to
provide live streaming satellite imagery of the Earth.

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Another sign that satellites are becoming cheaper and more accessible can be
seen in the world’s first fully 3D-printed satellites, that Australian manufacturer
Fleet Space Technologies says it will launch into orbit in 2022. These satellites are
primarily designed to provide communications and connectivity solutions for the
internet of things (IoT) devices that are quickly being adopted in homes and
businesses around the world.

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TREND 4: CLEANING UP OUR MESS
One worrying side effect of space exploration is that we might end up making
as much of a mess of the rest of the universe as we have done of our own
home planet. It’s estimated that there are already up to 8,000 tons of debris
from previous space missions and now-defunct satellites floating in Earth’s
orbit. These potentially pose a hazard to future space missions, where
collisions could be catastrophic, but also threaten to interfere with many of the
space services we rely on, such as weather forecasts and GPS.

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With that in mind, it’s reassuring that we are already starting to think about clearing up
after ourselves as we explore beyond the boundaries of Earth’s atmosphere. Launched this
year, the ELSA-d (End Of Life Services by Astroscale-Demonstration) mission aims to clean
up debris that will be left in space by future space missions. It does this using magnets to
grab floating debris and push them towards Earth, where it will burn up in the outer layers
of the atmosphere. Another waste disposal spacecraft, called RemoveDebris, will use nets
to capture floating junk, while the European Space Agency is working on plans to launch a
“self-destructing robot” with the specific aim of destroying a 100-kilogram piece of space
debris left behind from a previous mission.

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TREND 5: SPACE TECHNOLOGY VS. CLIMATE CHANGE
Space technology is specifically recognized as one of the keys to achieving the 17
Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 set out by the United Nations. A great
example is the reflective materials originally developed to conserve heat in
spacecraft, which are now commonly used to insulate buildings on Earth. This means
that world governments are increasingly investing in space innovation with the
primary purpose of tackling challenges caused by climate change on Earth. And with
a growing awareness of the importance of decarbonization and limiting global
warming among businesses, it's becoming an active focus of enterprise activity too.

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One of these initiatives is MethaneSat, designed to identify and track sources of methane
emissions on Earth. This is vital, as according to the IPCC, methane emissions alone are
accountable for around half of the rise in global temperature since the start of the industrial
era.
The UK space agency has recently announced funding for a number of projects that will get
underway next year, including one spearheaded by Global Satellite Vu aimed at using infra-
red cameras on satellites to monitor the level of thermal emissions from homes and
businesses. Another project named TreeView, established by the Open University and funded
by the UK Space Agency, will use satellite imagery to map tree cover and track deforestation,
in relation to the ability of trees to assist with carbon sequestration and storage.

15. © 2021 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker,
futurist, and a strategic business & technology advisor to governments and
companies. He helps organisations improve their business performance, use data
more intelligently, and understand the implications of new technologies such as
artificial intelligence, big data, blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
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