How deep tech acts as a catalyst for growth

You could feel this shift at Silicon Valley Space Week, where I was lucky enough to host a panel of industry leaders – Rivada Space Network’s Managing Director Francis O’Flaherty, SES’s SVP Future Business and Innovation Mohammad Marashi, Cailabs’ CEO USA Jeff Huggins, Aerospacelab’s Global Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer Tina Ghataore, and Astroscale’s EVP Dr. Clare Martin – in a discussion about how deep tech acts as a catalyst for growth in the space economy.

During the panel, we heard from Jeff on how optical communications are a prime example of this deep tech growth as it at last has made the leap from promise to deployment. After two decades of prototypes, adaptive optics and advanced photonics are now supporting operational links, Jeff saying “we’re finally beyond PowerPoints”, and ready to reshape the economics of high-capacity space data.

Similarly, SES’s Mohammad Marashi described how AI and machine learning is no longer just trimming operational inefficiencies – it’s starting to drive dynamic routing, congestion control and quality of experience tuning across SES’s global networks. Rivada’s Francis O’Flaherty pushed this further, illustrating how Rivada’s architecture positions satellites as intelligent nodes, capable of on-orbit data processing and space-based routing. The implication is profound: constellations that act autonomously, optimizing themselves without waiting for the ground.

The idea around space systems acting as the primary, not secondary, layer of global infrastructure surfaced repeatedly. Francis framed it plainly: space is no longer the backup network. With fully interlinked optical meshes routing data entirely in orbit, satellites are evolving into a sovereign, ultra-secure backbone for global connectivity. Terrestrial networks become the extension, not the foundation. It’s a subtle shift with enormous consequences. My colleague サンドロ・グレック said similar in his recent article on international collaboration in the new space economy, outlining how “perhaps the most compelling aspect of the burgeoning space economy is its limitless potential.”

Aerospacelab’s Tina Ghataore highlighted the industrial change driving this new era: deep vertical integration. Aerospacelab’s decision to manufacture nearly everything in-house – from optical payloads to propulsion – has collapsed development cycles and allowed them to tailor spacecraft directly to mission needs. In her words, vertical integration isn’t about cost control; it’s about owning the technology stack so you can innovate at the speed required by modern missions. The old model of standard buses for standard missions is giving way to agile, payload-first, rapidly deployable architectures.

Astroscale’s Dr. Clare Martin emphasized that in-orbit servicing has finally left the conceptual stage. With refueling, repositioning, docking and debris removal now advancing into real missions, the industry is entering an era in which satellites are no longer disposable. They are maintainable. Extendable. Upgradable. This evolution doesn’t just improve resilience, it rewrites asset valuation, allowing spacecrafts to gain capabilities over time rather than lose them.

Even quantum, long the realm of theory, is finding its first real market through space-based quantum key distribution (QKD). Mohammad explained how QKD is nearing operational readiness and will offer governments, banks and critical infrastructure providers the kind of security that terrestrial systems simply cannot match. The first commercially relevant quantum technology, it turns out, will not come from a lab bench – it will come from orbit.

Pushing past the chicken-and-egg deep tech dilemma to unlock market leadership

Thread these insights together and a clear picture emerges: the space economy is no longer scaling the old paradigm; it is replacing it. Sovereign networks are now developing ‘space-first’. Optical communications are no longer for inter-satellite links, but for reaching the ground from space. Manufacturing is shifting to vertically integrated, software-driven factories. In-orbit servicing is establishing a new logistics layer. Quantum is emerging from theory into practice, and AI is evolving into the core of space networks.

The panel circled around a classic deep tech dilemma: the chicken and egg problem. For Clare, this dilemma was around the standardization of a docking interface that would open up the in-orbit fuel-delivery, de-orbiting and other logistics services marketplace. For Jeff, the challenge was turning early-stage optics technology into a functioning ecosystem. He noted that progress only comes when people have the vision to see past the standoff, pointing to efforts like SDA’s deployment of hundreds of satellites with optical connections. As he put it, once the infrastructure is in place, the deep tech begins to feel like just tech – real, tangible tech that will ultimately become the norm – and vitally, profitable. As he said, “it’s starting to make business sense,” making it “very cool sort of monster” that will prove invaluable to the market leaders who chose to adopt early.

We saw Tina bring the conversation back to the manufacturer’s perspective, describing how supply-side constraints – access to precision components, optical terminals and polished mirrors – create their own chicken and egg scenario. Yet she also argued that taking bold bets on capacity can tip the balance: building one of Europe’s largest satellite factories was a risk, but one necessary to ensure there would be enough satellites to meet future demand: “You can’t wait to say we’re going to launch a constellation and also say we don’t have the capacity for it.”

The discussion underscored a fundamental truth of deep tech: progress often depends on parallel bets – on architecture, production, customer need and market adoption. By committing to both the satellites and the ground infrastructure, companies can turn a chicken-and-egg standoff into a self-reinforcing cycle, moving deep tech from experimental to commercially viable. And the organizations leaning hardest into deep tech, like Rivada, SES, Cailabs, Aerospacelab, and Astroscale are not just adapting to this shift, but defining it.

The next decade won’t simply expand the space economy; it will redefine it. And as the panelists made clear, that transformation is already underway. Will you be a part of it?

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