The Center for Space Futures, hosted by the Saudi Space Agency, aims to unite space industries for a mission to the moon and to build a $2 trillion global space economy by 2035, according to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. During a visit to Riyadh, Nelson emphasized the center’s role in fostering collaboration between commercial companies and government programs to advance space technologies.
In April, the Saudi Space Agency and the World Economic Forum signed an agreement to establish a Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution focused on space, set to open in fall 2024. This initiative comes as NASA plans to return to the moon, with the Artemis II mission aiming to land astronauts near the lunar South Pole by September 2025. Nelson highlighted that the collaboration with Saudi Arabia includes developing scientific instruments and addressing space challenges like debris. He also pointed to the Artemis Accords, which Saudi Arabia signed in 2022, promoting peaceful and sustainable space exploration. The burgeoning global space economy, expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, will rely on public-private partnerships to thrive.