The OECD publishes the 2nd Edition of the Handbook on Measuring the Space Economy [Aug/2022]
The OECD has published the second edition of the ‘Handbook
on measuring the Space Economy’. Ten years after the first iteration, this step
was justified with a strong diversification of actors contributing to the space
economy in recent years, as well as the significant progress in measuring the
space economy reliably over the past decade. The publication revisits and
improves on multiple aspects with a focus on resolving measurement challenges.
These include a revision of space economy definitions, space economy survey
principles, and an expansion into the field of impact assessments.
While the general OECD definition of the space
economy from 2012 remains unchanged, this edition complements it with the US
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) definition from 2020 that enables the
categorisation of selected goods and services that are part of the space
economy (see full article on BEA United States Space Economy (here).
Together they capture the three main segments of the space economy: The
upstream, representing the technological and scientific backbone. The
downstream, representing the “down to earth” infrastructure rely on inputs from
the upstream. And activities that are derived from activities in the space
sector but are not relying on them to function.
The handbook provides a comprehensive overview of available sector industry surveys and their key takeaways. For future surveys, the OECD continues to advise towards ever growing cooperation of international entities and the use of standardised methods and best practices. Lastly, the OECD introduces a new chapter regarding impact assessments that highlights selected effects and approaches to their measurement, as well as recommendations to apply for most meaningful results.
The full document with detailed information can be found here.