Space is no longer the special, protected domain that it was in the
past. Because of the importance of its practical applications, it is
becoming integrated into the mainstream of economic activity.
Technology push is giving way to the assessment of market opportunities
and demand pull. Funding from the public sector is declining while
interest in private financing is steadily growing. The value-added and
service industries are increasing in importance. New technologies will
be developed in a context of privatisation, de-regulation and
globalization.
An international and interdisciplinary Symposium was organized by the
International Space University to bring together a diverse group of
people, technical and non-technical, engaged in the creation of new
approaches to space applications, in order to share experiences and to
exchange ideas on the way forward. The Proceedings of this Symposium
make stimulating reading for all who are engaged in the market-place of
space and its applications.