Publications

INSIGHT REPORT

Pioneering the Future: Space

Technologies Poised to Revolutionize

Exploration and Economy by 2035

September 2026

FACTSHEETS

Pioneering the Future: Space

Technologies Poised to Revolutionize Exploration and Economy by 2035

June 2026

WHITE PAPER

Future of Space Law:

Operationalizing Space Governance

March 2026

REPORT

Clear Orbit, Secure Future:

 A Call to Action on Space Debris

Jan 2026

WHITE PAPER

The Future of Space Law

Insights from the ATS, UNCLOS, and ITU Frameworks

December 2025

WHITE PAPER

The Future of Space Law: 

The Evolving Dynamics of Air and Space Regulation

 September  2025

The Future Of Space Law

News

Centre for Space Futures, Novaspace and SpaceTech Gulf  Sign Agreement to Develop Global Space Capability Mapping Dashboard

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia , 23 Jun 2026|  Press Release

Clear Orbit, Secure Future: A Call to Action on Space Debris

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 Jan 2026 | Press Release

Centre for Space Futures Holds Workshop with Participation of 40 Global Experts

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 05 Dec 2025 | Press Release

Centre for Space Futures Releases White Paper on 'The Future of Space Law'

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 12 Sep 2025 | Press Release

The Board of Directors of the Centre for Space Futures Endorses Its Strategic Direction

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 May 2025 | Press Release

Saudi Space Agency to Launch the Centre for Space Futures with the World Economic Forum

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 29 April | Press Release

5 ways we can tackle growing risks from rocket bodies in orbit

Dec 09, 2025 | Economic Growth, Stories

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Forum Agenda

Forum Videos

VIDEO

Press Conference: Centre for Space Futures in Riyadh

The World Economic Forum's Special Meeting, April 29, 2024

VIDEO

The Purpose of Astronauts at Davos 2024

World Economic Forum , March 9, 2024

VIDEO

PortWatch: Monitoring Trade Disruptions from Space

World Economic Forum , Dec 18, 2023

VIDEO

India's Moon Mission Triumph: Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj's Insights

World Economic Forum , Aug 23, 2023

VIDEO

Space Exploration is Back at Davos 2023

World Economic Forum , Feb 16, 2023

Forum Publications

REPORT

Space: The $1.8 Trillion Opportunity for Global Economic Growth

World Economic Forum , April 8, 2024

REPORT

Navigating the Industrial Metaverse: A Blueprint for Future Innovations

World Economic Forum , March 12, 2024

REPORT

Digital Trust: Supporting Individual Agency

World Economic Forum , Jan 18, 2024

REPORT

The Future of Global Fintech: Towards Resilient and Inclusive Growth

World Economic Forum , Jan 18, 2024

Strategic Intelligence Insights

Mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows are vital for climate resilience, coastal economies, and biodiversity but receive less than 1% of international climate finance. Financial institutions can integrate blue carbon ecosystems into investment strategies through four pathways: sustainability credits, supply chains, infrastructure, and insurance. Key challenges include regulatory complexity, high transaction costs, and limited project scale. The guide proposes eight interventions, such as blended finance and risk-sharing tools, to unlock investment opportunities. It emphasizes blue carbon's potential as a scalable investment theme with strong commercial and environmental impact.
Financial services
Turning the Tide: A Financier’s Guide to Investing in Blue Carbon Ecosystems
Thailand's adoption of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards for sustainability-related financial disclosures highlights the effectiveness of a phased approach, early market consultation, and capacity building. Success depends on understanding local conditions and creating a robust supporting ecosystem. Enhancing regional collaboration and knowledge sharing can accelerate ISSB implementation and empower emerging markets to influence the development of global reporting standards.
Financial services
Adopting Global Standards: Thailand’s Journey to Implement International Sustainability-Related Financial Disclosures
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a foundational element of the global economy, with the AI market projected to reach $4.8 trillion by 2033. However, this growth is accompanied by significant inequality: advanced economies heavily invest in AI infrastructure, while low- and lower-middle-income countries face systemic barriers that risk reinforcing technological dependency. Despite large funding commitments from governments and tech firms, challenges in governance and coordination may worsen global AI disparities instead of building sustainable domestic AI capacity in these countries.
Africa | Financial services, ICT, Education
Financing the AI Triad: Compute, Data and Algorithms A framework to build local ecosystems
The Artemis II mission, NASA's first crewed lunar flight since 1972, completed a ten-day journey marking a new era in human space exploration. The Orion spacecraft, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, executed a gravity-assisted flyby around the Moon, traveling further into space than any prior human mission and surpassing Apollo 13’s distance record. The crew conducted scientific observations of 30 lunar sites and emotionally named a crater after Wiseman’s late wife. Iconic photos like the Earthset image captured the fragility of Earth, echoing sentiments from Apollo astronauts about humanity’s connection to our planet. Artemis II sets the stage for sustained lunar presence and future Mars exploration.
As Nasa’s Artemis II Moon mission ends, a new adventure for humanity beckons
Asian economies are forecasted to grow at 5.1% in 2026 and 2027, assuming an early stabilization of the Middle East conflict, though risks remain high due to rising energy costs and trade disruptions. Resilient domestic demand, especially in South Asia and sectors like electronics and AI, supports growth. Governments should implement targeted support to vulnerable populations, maintain fiscal discipline, and promote energy efficiency while protecting investments in infrastructure and renewables. Strengthening regional cooperation and supply chains is critical to mitigate shocks. Inflation is rising due to energy and food price pressures, challenging central banks to balance inflation control with growth support. Food security risks persist if supply disruptions continue.
Bahrain, India, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa | Health, Financial services
Your Questions Answered: How Asian Economies Can Manage Global Risks
NASA's Artemis II mission marked humanity's first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years, with astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen completing a four-day flyby of the Moon. Traveling further from Earth than any humans before, they reached 252,756 miles away, surpassing Apollo 13’s record. The mission revealed striking contrasts between the Moon's near side and far side, with rugged, heavily cratered terrain on the far side and smoother lava plains on the near side. Astronauts observed subtle colors on the lunar surface and named two previously unnamed craters. The mission concluded with a high-speed re-entry and splashdown off California’s coast.
How Nasa’s Artemis II mission rediscovered the majesty and mystery of the Moon
Images like the 1968 Earthrise photo from Apollo 8 helped launch environmental awareness, revealing Earth’s fragility and inspiring movements like Earth Day. Advances in satellite technology since then have shown alarming climate changes, including heatwaves, ice melt, and sea-level rise. Amid such challenges, small scientific discoveries offer hope: queen bumblebees can survive underwater for days, aiding survival against wetter winters; hedgehogs hear ultrasound, enabling potential road-crossing warnings; and moss’s water absorption and pollution filtering abilities may help mitigate flooding and air pollution. These findings highlight how both big and small discoveries can inspire and support environmental action.
Why small discoveries (as well as big ones) have the power to inspire
Europe faces a housing crisis fueled by scarce social housing, rising short-term rentals, and stagnant wages, impacting affordability and energy costs amid climate challenges. In Catalonia, Spain, where social housing is under 3%, a new model treats housing as a human right and a welfare pillar, promoting affordability and low carbon emissions through collaboration among public authorities, non-profits, businesses, and cooperatives. Projects like Barcelona’s Casa Bloc and eco-friendly buildings in Sitges demonstrate sustainable, affordable living with features such as passive heating and social support. Supported by municipal policies and cooperative investment, this approach addresses inequality and climate goals, though challenges like high land values and costs remain.
Latin America | Financial services
Europe needs affordable, low‑carbon homes – here’s how Barcelona is reimagining its housing system
NASA’s Artemis II mission captured a striking Earthset photo as the spacecraft completed its lunar flyby, offering a modern counterpart to Apollo 8’s iconic 1968 Earthrise image. While Earthrise showed a full, bright Earth rising over the Moon’s horizon and inspired the environmental movement, Earthset depicts a partially sunlit Earth setting behind the Moon, with visible auroras and atmospheric glow. The Apollo 8 photo was a spontaneous capture with limited technology and photographic priority, whereas Artemis II prioritized high-quality imaging using advanced equipment. This contrast reflects evolving space mission approaches and technology from 1968 to 2026.
How Artemis II’s Earthset photo compares with the iconic Earthrise image from 1968
The Artemis II mission demonstrates significant European contributions through the European Service Module (ESM), designed and built by Airbus for ESA. The ESM provides critical propulsion and life-support systems for the Orion spacecraft, performing flawlessly during the mission's key lunar journey. This highlights Europe's decades of spaceflight expertise, built from projects like Spacelab and the Columbus laboratory. ESA’s involvement exemplifies international cooperation in Artemis, with additional plans for modules at the lunar Gateway and European astronauts joining lunar missions, showcasing Europe's growing ambitions in human space exploration.
Artemis II relied on European science: what that means for the region’s space ambitions
Despite rising global fragmentation, international cooperation in space exploration remains robust due to its strategic importance in security, communications, and navigation. The growing challenges of space debris and orbital congestion necessitate updated global treaties like the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Collaboration persists among major space powers, including the US, China, and the European Union, while private companies such as SpaceX are increasingly entering the sector, intensifying orbital competition. National agencies like Spain’s Space Agency focus on autonomy and innovation, developing domestic satellite and launcher capabilities, while aligning with broader European goals through the European Space Agency’s coordinated strategies for sustainable and secure space access.
Spain | Education
Space, the final frontier of global cooperation
Asia and the Pacific's economies heavily rely on ocean health, which supports jobs, exports, food security, and community resilience tied to reefs and mangroves. The region's ocean economy is rapidly growing, highlighting ocean health as a critical economic factor. Degradation of marine ecosystems increases disaster recovery costs and weakens industries like tourism and fisheries. Investing in ocean conservation and sustainable practices demonstrates positive economic returns by reducing risks and attracting private capital. Innovative financing mechanisms like blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps facilitate funding for marine protection. To sustain growth and reduce future costs, policies must integrate ocean health into fiscal planning, use public finance to leverage private investment, and establish regulatory frameworks for scalable conservation and restoration efforts.
Panama, South Africa | Financial services, Health
Why Asia and the Pacific Can’t Afford to Ignore Ocean Health
Since the iconic 1968 Apollo 8 Earthrise photo, Earth's climate has undergone significant changes. Atmospheric CO₂ levels have risen from about 320 ppm to approximately 430 ppm, largely due to fossil fuel use, increasing greenhouse gases and warming the planet. Global average surface temperatures have increased by roughly 1.2°C since then, with recent years hitting new highs—2024 marked the first year temporarily exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This warming heightens the frequency of extreme heat events, such as 40°C days in the UK becoming over 20 times more likely. Climate variability phenomena like El Niño further influence these temperature spikes, posing challenges to staying within international climate targets.
Earthrise to Earthset: how the planet’s climate has changed since the photo that inspired the environmental movement
Global AI governance initiatives have grown but remain ineffective due to vagueness, lack of authority, and repetition. Challenges such as geopolitical tensions, institutional gridlock, and AI’s complex nature hinder the creation of impactful governance. To address this, a new framework evaluates the political legitimacy of global AI governance efforts, aiming to clarify why existing initiatives lack influence and to identify paths for stronger international cooperation. The framework is applied to key issues like regulating lethal autonomous weapons and safety testing for general-purpose AI.
Education, Health
A Framework for Evaluating Global AI Governance Initiatives
In 2025, violent events nearly doubled compared to 2021, with over 185,000 incidents recorded globally. Warfare is increasingly shaped by technologies like drones, AI, and smartphones, which also draw civilians into conflict as real-time information sharing risks greater harm. Online communication tools enable conflict escalation through disinformation and hate speech. Despite these challenges, PeaceTech innovations have emerged, leveraging technology to promote human dignity and peacebuilding before, during, and after conflicts. These developments highlight new pathways for peace amid evolving warfare dynamics.
What’s New in PeaceTech? 10 Notable Developments from 2025
Hundreds of global technology experts emphasize the need for a comprehensive, systemic response to rapid AI advancements to benefit humanity. They highlight AI’s growing role as society’s invisible operating system, fundamentally shaping opportunities, services, risk management, and human rights. By the next decade, 82% foresee AI significantly influencing daily life and societal systems, with over half expecting AI to guide or control most human decisions. However, 45% predict low human resilience to such changes, partly due to passive acceptance of AI’s influence. Satisfaction with AI is mixed, with roughly equal proportions expressing satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or ambivalence. Traditional individual resilience strategies are deemed insufficient for the AI-driven future.
Education
Building a Human Resilience Infrastructure for the Age of AI
AI regulations in over 100 countries largely neglect environmental impacts, focusing instead on privacy, bias, and security. AI production and use drive significant greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, pollution, and habitat loss, primarily due to energy-intensive GPU manufacturing, rare earth extraction, and AI model training and deployment. The EU’s AI Act, effective from August 2024, requires some environmental disclosures but lacks compulsory sustainability mandates. The UK has no AI-specific laws addressing environmental risks. Greater transparency on energy, water use, and emissions is needed, alongside mandatory targets, AI sustainability labeling, and incentives for greener practices to curb AI’s environmental damage as the technology expands.
Education
AI laws overlook environmental damage – here’s what needs to change
Humans are preparing for extended habitation on the Moon, with NASA's Artemis program aiming to establish a sustainable lunar base by 2030 to support long-term stays and future Mars missions. Living on the Moon presents serious physiological challenges due to reduced gravity, increased cosmic radiation exposure, temperature extremes, toxic lunar dust, isolation, and disrupted sleep cycles. These stressors affect multiple organ systems, requiring integrated health monitoring and risk mitigation. Key countermeasures include tailored exercise regimens adapted to partial gravity, personalized nutrition, artificial gravity research, and habitat designs using lunar soil for radiation protection. Understanding and managing these factors are critical for safe, sustainable lunar living.
The unseen challenges of life on the Moon
Solar particle events pose a significant threat to astronauts on the Artemis II mission to the Moon, as intense bursts of charged particles from the Sun can cause radiation sickness or be fatal. Unlike astronauts in low Earth orbit protected by Earth's magnetosphere, deep space travelers have greater exposure. The Sun’s activity follows an 11-year cycle, currently in decline after its 2024 peak, but solar particle events can still occur unexpectedly, as evidenced by a substantial event in November 2025. Historical precedent from 1972 shows how a massive solar particle event narrowly missed affecting Apollo missions, highlighting the need for improved radiation monitoring. Research continues to develop better detection instruments to protect future deep space missions from harmful solar radiation.
Could a solar storm derail the Artemis II mission?
The last human Moon landing was Apollo 17 in 1972, after which political shifts, budget constraints, and changing priorities halted further missions. Although NASA had the technology for routine Moon landings in the early 1970s, sustaining exploration required stable political will, funding, and long-term goals, which eroded due to the Vietnam War, domestic issues, and other concerns. The focus shifted to low-Earth orbit with the space shuttle and the International Space Station, consuming resources and delaying deep space efforts. Attempts to renew Moon missions, like the 1989 Space Exploration Initiative, failed due to high costs and limited support. NASA now plans to return via the Artemis program, aiming for a 2026 lunar mission.
Why has it taken so long to return to the Moon?

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