The Futures of Space Tech

A strategic foresight project exploring how technological, environmental, economic, and geopolitical forces could shape the future of the space sector. Emerging signals and trends were synthesized into future scenarios and strategic insights for decision-making under uncertainty.

Methods: Environmental scanning ◦ Signal detection ◦ Trend analysis ◦ STEEP-V analysis ◦ Manoa futures wheelsScenario developmentWind tunneling
Collaborators:
Shaun Alfonso ◦ Thomas Changarathil ◦ Shreya Chopra ◦ Veronique Claude

Overview

Developed as part of a strategic foresight studio at OCAD University, this project explored how organizations in the rapidly evolving space technology sector might navigate uncertainty while considering broader societal and environmental implications. As commercial investment accelerated alongside advances in technology, the project examined how emerging developments could shape the future of space exploration and related industries.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, we conducted environmental scanning, identified emerging trends and signals, developed a set of future scenarios, and used them to test the strategies of a fictional organization, Gaia. The project concluded with a set of strategic recommendations informed by the scenario analysis and wind-tunnelling process.

Process

Outcomes

Mapping scenarios through cone of plausibility
Wind tunnelling to test strategic directions against diverse scenarios