Evolving governance in the space sector: From Legacy Space to New Space models

The space sector is evolving from the “Legacy Space” to the “New Space”. Along with the space sector, space program governance is transitioning to support an environment where legacy and New Space actors co-exist. The aforementioned transitions and the entry of New Space players result in new governance models, as space agencies aim to exploit contributions from non-space sectors, leveraging on collaborative opportunities. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) become a new golden rule, disclosing unprecedented achievements. However, the existing body of knowledge lacks a framing of models of space program governance, covering both Legacy Space programs and New Space ones. It is not clear how the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders change from the Legacy Space to the New Space, alongside the related changes in contract structures and the practices space agencies favour in current space programs and projects. Therefore, our paper aims to investigate how space program governance evolved. We performed a single-case study on NASA-led space exploration programs to investigate the transition of space program governance and its actual state-of-the-art. We co-developed and validated three governance models for space programs through semi-structured interviews with senior experts. Furthermore, we present key drivers and barriers behind the evolution towards New Space governance models. We found and discussed three program governance models corresponding to the evolutionary stages of space exploration programs. In the Legacy Space model, the government owns space infrastructures to demonstrate technological supremacy. In the Transitional model, lumpsum contracts, transitioning between cost-plus and fixed-price, replace the legacy EPC (Engineering, Production, Construction) ones. In the New Space model, collaborative efforts and PPPs enable alignment between public and private expertise. Finally, we examine the factors that promote and impede the evolution of space governance, leading to the emergence of a polycentric governance structure observed in current space programs. The three models enable managers to visualize space programs from a governance perspective, where stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities in PPPs are clearly identified. Moreover, managers can leverage and innovate existing practices for transitioning across different models of governance in space programs and projects. We contribute to research by introducing a transitional governance model that enables the smooth transition between the Legacy Space and the New Space paradigms. We justify the concurrent adoption of multiple governance models within the same space program, as in the current Artemis program.