Hello followers! Today, let’s explore how space investment is skyrocketing, and the traditional rocket science is giving way to fresh, innovative approaches.

Just five years ago, Katelin Holloway made a bold moonshot investment, despite having little knowledge of rocket technology. She invested in Stoke Space’s reusable launch tech, acknowledging her team’s lack of specialization at first.

Since then, Holloway’s interest in lunar mining, like harvesting helium-3, has grown, reflecting a broader trend where venture capitalists without aerospace backgrounds now back space startups. Global investments surpassed $4.5 billion, quadrupling last year’s figures, thanks to reduced launch costs and broader accessibility.

This shift is fueled by companies like SpaceX, making space more practical for new, application-driven startups—covering climate monitoring, satellite services, lunar infrastructure, and in-space manufacturing. Holloway emphasizes that space tech increasingly intersects with climate tech and geopolitics, especially with China’s advancements pushing the U.S. to invest heavily in defense-related space startups.

Defense giants and startups are raising significant funds—like True Anomaly with $260 million and K2 Space with $110 million—highlighting that defense spending reassures investors about the sector’s viability. Helium-3, for instance, also has security applications like nuclear detection.

Major tech and VC firms are joining events like Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco, sharing insights and networking with industry leaders. Even AI’s role in geospatial analysis is expanding, with collaborations aiming to detect wildfires from orbit and analyze Earth data, promising quicker returns for investors—shrinking the traditional decades-long wait to as little as 10 years.

Public markets are catching on too: space startups like Voyager went public with a $1.9 billion valuation, and others like Karman Space are performing well post-IPO. Holloway sees potential exits through acquisitions by aerospace giants or government buys, especially due to the security implications of space technologies.

All these developments — cheaper launches, defense investments, AI applications, and faster profit timelines — are transforming space from a niche domain into a buzzing sector accessible to operational experts with diverse backgrounds. The space economy may still face hurdles, but with non-traditional investors diving in, the future is looking brighter and more inclusive than ever.