Republished with full copyright permissions from The San Francisco Press.

In the past decade, the allure of outer space has captured the fascination of not only scientists and enthusiasts, but also the keen interest of enterprises, citizens, and governments worldwide. This burgeoning interest has propelled the space economy into the spotlight, assuming an increasingly vital role in various facets of contemporary society, from climate change monitoring to the fortification of security and defense mechanisms and the advancement of high-level digital and communication systems.

As the significance of the space economy continues to swell, so does the clamor for reliable and timely statistical data on its economic dynamics. To meet this escalating demand, Eurostat has joined forces with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) to inaugurate a thematic dossier spotlighting space economic activities in Europe.

This newly launched webpage on the European space economy thematic account, nestled within the precincts of our experimental statistics section, is poised to furnish consolidated statistics on crucial gross domestic product (GDP) indicators for the space economy. These encompass output, gross value-added (GVA), employment, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These insights are meticulously curated utilizing the supply and use framework of the System of National Accounts (SNA 2008), thereby enabling a comprehensive portrayal of the direct, indirect, and induced contributions of the space economy.

Marking a pivotal moment, Eurostat is set to unveil its inaugural findings on the EU space economy, with an anticipated release on 15 December. These findings encapsulate data on exports and imports of spacecraft, including satellites, and spacecraft launch vehicles. Simultaneously, the methodological underpinnings of the account, jointly published with the JRC and ESA, are slated for release on the same day.

Additionally, December 15 will witness the launch of a groundbreaking co-publication by the ESA, JRC, Eurostat, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). This seminal publication, entitled “International, North American and European Statistical Classifications for Space Economy Measurement”, will introduce, for the first time, a comprehensive compendium of comparable statistical codes for measuring the space economy on international, North American, and European dimensions.

The inauguration of the European space economy thematic account and the imminent release of these highly anticipated statistical reports stand as a testament to the resounding commitment to unraveling the enigmatic and promising domain of the space economy. It is poised to accelerate innovation, fuel economic growth, and chart new frontiers of understanding in this increasingly influential sphere. Stay tuned as we step into a new era of enlightenment and exploration in the ever-evolving space economy.