Journal article 2025
Acta Astronautica Vol. 228 · pp. 453–473
Commercial Space Stations will need value propositions that match how potential users actually expect to create value, with integrated service offerings and disciplined cost control rather than provider assumptions alone.
Commercial Space Stations are expected to become privately operated platforms for the post-ISS Low Earth Orbit economy. Their commercial viability, however, depends on whether they create enough value for organizations outside the traditional space sector as well as for established space users. This research maps potential CSS value streams and customer bases, compares the value espoused by station providers with the value expected by potential users, and examines where those perspectives align or diverge.
How do potential users perceive the value of harnessing Commercial Space Stations in their business?
The study uses an exploratory mixed-method design grounded in Value Theory. It first reviews 114 documents to identify value streams and potential users. It then analyzes provider value propositions and conducts 14 interviews with CSS-provider managers. The user perspective is investigated through semantic web scraping of 46,319 potential-user websites and public documents, with 146 user websites retained for thematic analysis and six user-manager interviews used for triangulation. The final phase compares provider value espoused with user value expected.
The analysis identifies 50 value streams and 74 potential-user customer bases spanning industries such as capital goods, technology, healthcare, consumer markets and media. CSS value can therefore emerge from cross-industry applications in manufacturing, research, services and commercialization.
Comparing provider value espoused with potential-user value expected reveals differences in the relative attractiveness of value streams and customer groups. Commercial development therefore requires systematic attention to user needs rather than relying only on what providers believe stations can offer.
Potential users look for accessible, integrated as-a-service offerings that reduce the organizational burden of operating in space. Cost predictability and control are central because many non-space organizations must compare CSS opportunities with terrestrial alternatives and justify the investment internally.
The research brings the potential-user perspective into the commercialization of Commercial Space Stations and provides a structured empirical basis for discussing the LEO economy. It also demonstrates how value-network thinking can connect infrastructure design with demand across heterogeneous industries.
For CSS providers, the results support customer discovery, platform design and value-proposition development. For potential users, the map of value streams makes emerging applications more visible. For space agencies and policymakers, the findings clarify why commercial LEO development depends on building demand as well as infrastructure.
Paravano, A., Rosseau, B., Locatelli, G., Weinzierl, M., & Trucco, P. (2025). Toward the LEO economy: A value assessment of commercial space stations for space and non-space users. Acta Astronautica, 228, 453–473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.11.060
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