What market research must you do to invest in space debris removal startups?

Exploring investment opportunities in the burgeoning field of space debris removal requires a thorough understanding of the market landscape. Primarily, one must delve into the technological advancements driving innovation in this sector, keeping a keen eye on emerging startups pioneering novel solutions. Additionally, analyzing regulatory frameworks and international collaborations is pivotal to assess the feasibility and scalability of such ventures. Moreover, scrutinizing the current market demand, potential clientele, and projected growth trajectories can provide valuable insights for strategic investment decisions.

I once heard someone say "Everything that is now new, one day it will be trash", and satellites are no exception. There are about 6,000 satellites, and only half are active. The rest are waiting to come back into Earth's atmosphere, burn, and disappear forever. At least that is the poetic way we were told it would happen. In reality, this process can take from 5 to 10 years, we need to also consider the development of military weapons that are capable of destroying satellites, as the Russians did in 2021, creating thousands of pieces of Space debris. Removing Space Debris and inactive satellites is vital for a LEO Economy, but what I consider much more important is to ask today the question: "Do we really need more satellites?"

Para dar respuesta todas las preguntas, es importante establecer un programa general o un proyecto para planificar, organizar y establecer claramente los objetivos que permita analizar la factibilidad de inversión. La experiencia dice que la idea no es mala, todo lo contrario, personas y cercanos la encontrarán fascinante, sin embargo, será una tarea ardua en recopilar la información para posteriormente establecer las estrategias necesarias. Es importante contar con un equipo y recursos para comprender el problema y evaluar potenciales soluciones.

The answer is clear, the early customers should be the Government, but when has the government shown any proactive steps towards avoiding a crisis, in particular an environmental crisis? If Governments only knew about the socio-economic impact of the assets in Space and the fragile use of our Earth's orbit, this would be a much more pressing issue. For now, the early revenue access from a Space Debrie removal strat-up should come from extending the life of satellites, docking with them, moving them to higher orbits, providing more fuel, and power, adding capabilities, etc.

La identificación de los clientes es clave para ofrecer las soluciones pertinentes, para eso, es relevante efectuar un estudio de mercado o una investigación identificando a los clientes mencionados. Un punto clave a destacar, es averiguar si los clientes gubernamentales (agencias espaciales) o privados cuentan con un plan para reducir o desorbitar los desechos espaciales, esto representaría una ventaja para alinear las soluciones y llegar algún acuerdo. Punto importante: participar en seminarios, reuniones, o ir directamente a los clientes potenciales y explorar las soluciones.

The market is still too early to declare a winner. There are companies like Astroscale that have been a public advocate for this matter, playing well the environmental card, raising money but yet without a clear piece of technology. As I mentioned before, my money is in companies perfecting the docking, rendezvous, and proximity maneuvers practices. Capabilities that are not only useful for Debris removal but also for in-orbit manufacturing, in-orbit assembly, and extending the life of satellites.

Por supuesto que es importante realizar la investigación de la competencia sobre todo con el avance y rapidez en el desarrollo de la tecnología sumado a la I.A., si bien el servicio se encuentra en etapa de Introducción o de idea, perfectamente podría pasar a Crecimiento, siempre y cuando existan las condiciones. Una vez que se forme la competencia, se podrá establecer los planes necesarios (marketing, comercial, RRSS, etc) para definir cada una de sus políticas. Para resumir, un buen plan comercial trae consigo respuestas a las preguntas.

Trends in the Space Industry, like any other high-tech are misleading, there are way too many so-called "expert" voices that you can find speaking on the same forums, using the same PPTs, and providing the same examples. Yet we haven't moved closer to any serious solution. As part of the Economy in LEO that I've analyzed, Space Debris is also an activity that eventually will be impacted by a customer-centric demand, and while we are still a few years from witnessing any real improvement in this area, it is important to don't let us putting the cart before the horse. My mantra to avoid any foggy trend is simple "Follow the money" and you can't go wrong.

Toda evaluación, estudio o propuesta debe contar con elementos que sustenten o justifiquen su impulso. Por esta razón, debe contener un estudio del macro y micro entorno, muchas veces teniendo una visión de las posibles problemáticas que pueda generar instalar una startup de estas características. Como consejo recomendaría establecer un grupo de expertos con soluciones concretas.

I love this market; Steve Wozniak already went in to try to get some of it. The truth is it's a very new market. Hence, it's difficult to analyze. Fortunately, you're not pioneering it. So you'll need to just study those startups/companies operating in that space.

As "modern" humans we have proven bad at preventing catastrophes, or good at creating them, either way, Space Debris is a real concern and potentially an environmental crisis. Currently, it's only contained within the Space industry, but it should be more mainstream, ideally, not to create a solution to a problem that is not there yet, but to prevent it altogether. "Do we really need more satellites?" That is the real question we should be answering right now. Unfortunately, it's the companies benefiting from making and operating these satellites that are the loudest voices in the room. In the end, the same companies that are creating the Space Debris problem will be the same companies that will get paid to solve it.

Hoy existen muchas empresas que quieren poner en órbita más satélites, y es entendible desde el punto de vista que estos elementos tienen vida útil y en algún momento dejaran de funcionar, generando la falta de servicios o caídas a nivel local y porque no a nivel global. Personalmente creo, que existe el Talento Humano para generar soluciones de disminuir la cantidad de desechos espaciales, esto es un nicho de mercado que podría ser liderado por alguna startup. La solución debe ser vista en conjunto con todos los actores, aquellos que puedan invertir, aquellos que puedan regular, etc. Como reflexión aquellas empresas que fabrican y ponen en órbita satélites podría generar una línea paralela de negocios, "Eliminar los desechos espaciales"