Vela: A Data-Driven Proposal for Joint Collaboration in Space Exploration

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the economic contributions of major space agencies and proposes a multinational Mars orbiting space station mission, Vela, to enhance collaboration and resource sharing for future space exploration.

Contribution

It introduces a data-driven framework for joint international space exploration, specifically proposing the Vela mission based on economic analysis of top space agencies.

Findings

Economic contributions vary significantly among agencies.

Proposed Vela mission aims to optimize resource sharing.

Multinational collaboration increases success likelihood.

Abstract

The UN Office of Outer Space Affairs identifies synergy of space development activities and international cooperation through data and infrastructure sharing in their Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG17). Current multilateral space exploration paradigms, however, are divided between the Artemis and the Roscosmos-CNSA programs to return to the moon and establish permanent human settlements. As space agencies work to expand human presence in space, economic resource consolidation in pursuit of technologically ambitious space expeditions is the most sensible path to accomplish SDG17. This paper compiles a budget dataset for the top five federally-funded space agencies: CNSA, ESA, JAXA, NASA, and Roscosmos. Using time-series econometric anslysis methods in STATA, this work analyzes each agency's economic contributions toward space exploration. The dataset results are used to propose a multinational space mission, Vela, for the development of an orbiting space station around Mars in the late 2030s. Distribution of economic resources and technological capabilities by the respective space programs are proposed to ensure programmatic redundancy and increase the odds of success on the given timeline.