Investigating the technological trends in the space industry: Thematic Analysis of Strategic Policy Plans of Different Countries
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
عضو هیات علمی/پژوهشگاه فضایی ایران
2
Iranian Space Research Center Academic Staff
3
4. Iran Space Institute, Tehran, Iran
4
Assistant Professor, Iran Space Research Center
5
Department of Science and Technology Policy, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
6
مشهد - خیابان فدائیان اسلام 10 - خیابان ششم - پلاک 9
Abstract
The studied society is the policy documents related to the aerospace field by the policy-making organizations of different countries in all parts of the world. In total, 21 documents from 13 countries have been reviewed in order to deduce the trends and core issues of the space industry. By analyzing the full text of the documents, which was more than 1200 pages, 229 codes were extracted by separating each unit of analysis and were used as input data sets in thematic analysis. The scope of the research is England, China, the United States of America, India, France, Sweden, South Africa, the Netherlands, Brazil, the European Union region, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, and Australia. Descriptive analysis method and MAXQDA software were used to interpret and analyze the data.
Surveys show that different countries have written strategic documents in order to draw visions, goals and technology roadmaps in order to keep up with the drivers of the development of the space industry. These documents provide valuable insight into the priorities, investments, and collaborative efforts that are shaping the future direction of the space industry. The analysis of these strategic documents can lead to the understanding of scientific and technological trends in the space industry. The content analysis of the documents has led to the identification of 20 technological areas in 5 core areas, autonomous space, advanced space systems, complex space operations, space sustainability and space digitization.
The identification of 20 key technology areas in five general axes shows the multifaceted nature of the space industry and emphasizes the strategic priorities of different countries around the world. The analysis of the strategic documents of different countries shows that there are many opportunities and challenges for both newcomers and veteran actors with the expansion of the space market in the coming years. The analyzes performed are an important decision-making tool in technology planning and technology strategy formulation, it is of great importance in terms of determining the direction and priorities in the development of the space industry and can help to formulate effective strategies and plans in the future.
Surveys show that different countries have written strategic documents in order to draw visions, goals and technology roadmaps in order to keep up with the drivers of the development of the space industry. These documents provide valuable insight into the priorities, investments, and collaborative efforts that are shaping the future direction of the space industry. The analysis of these strategic documents can lead to the understanding of scientific and technological trends in the space industry. The content analysis of the documents has led to the identification of 20 technological areas in 5 core areas, autonomous space, advanced space systems, complex space operations, space sustainability and space digitization.
The identification of 20 key technology areas in five general axes shows the multifaceted nature of the space industry and emphasizes the strategic priorities of different countries around the world. The analysis of the strategic documents of different countries shows that there are many opportunities and challenges for both newcomers and veteran actors with the expansion of the space market in the coming years. The analyzes performed are an important decision-making tool in technology planning and technology strategy formulation, it is of great importance in terms of determining the direction and priorities in the development of the space industry and can help to formulate effective strategies and plans in the future.
Keywords
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Volume 4, Issue 2
March 2025Pages 63-80
- Receive Date 03 June 2024
- Revise Date 11 August 2024
- Accept Date 30 December 2024