Course Overview

No industry is more important to the future of humanity than the space industry, and that industry is currently undergoing a historic revolution. These are bold claims, but in this course we will engage them as we discuss the rapid progress being driven by companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Made In Space, Spire, and more. We will be joined by leaders in the industry, including alumni, eager to help you join them in building a new space age with the private sector as its engine. We will learn about the history of space agencies like NASA and debate their role in the future. And we will study the economics and finance underlying the sector, where public-private linkages are deep and essential. Space is already essential to our lives in countless ways, but its role today is negligible compared to its potential. Realizing that potential will require gifted business leaders; this course will help you become one of them.

Course Administration

Course grades will be based on class participation (50%) and a short paper (50%). For the paper, students (working alone or in groups of up to three) will analyze a space company or policy as a component of the overall space sector and its evolution, drawing on the lessons and examples explored in the course. The course is designed so that the time required to prepare the paper is comparable to the time a student would devote to a final exam.

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