The U.S. commercial space sector is expanding at a pace few industries can match. According to recent projections, the global space economy is expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035. New launch systems, satellite constellations, and downstream applications are advancing quickly. Yet research presented at the 2025 International Astronautical Congress suggests that the most immediate constraint on this growth is not technical capability. It is workforce readiness.
In their paper Launching the Space Workforce: A Framework for the Urgent Need of the U.S. Commercial Space Sector, researchers Beatriz Coningham and Saba Hussain identify a widening gap between the demand for skilled space professionals and the systems currently in place to develop and retain them. While innovation accelerates, workforce strategies across much of the commercial space sector remain reactive, fragmented, or entirely absent.
Coningham and Hussain show that employment in many space-related occupations is projected to grow faster than the national average over the next decade. These roles extend well beyond engineering to include logistics, cybersecurity, data analysis, operations, and management. Despite a growing ecosystem of academic programs and nonprofit initiatives, the pace of traditional education pathways is not sufficient to meet near-term industry needs.
This is where employer-led workforce development becomes essential. Workforce development must be treated as a core business function rather than an afterthought.
The findings presented by Coningham and Hussain make one conclusion unavoidable: workforce development must be intentional, industry-led, and designed to move at the speed of the sector itself.
This is the problem the Space Workforce Institute was created to address. SWI works alongside industry partners to define workforce standards, support skills-based hiring, and create accessible, high-quality learning pathways for both technical and non-technical space professionals. In partnership with Nova Space, SWI focuses on real-world competency development rather than passive knowledge acquisition, helping organizations and individuals close skill gaps faster and more effectively.
Citation:
Coningham, B., & Hussain, S. (2025). Launching the Space Workforce: A Framework for the Urgent Need of the U.S. Commercial Space Sector. International Astronautical Congress, Sydney, Australia.