Elon Musk is the richest man in history. With great wealth comes great power and influence. How wisely is Musk wielding that power? Switching off Starlink in Ukraine, threatening Europe with “devastating consequences” on satellite broadband, and whatever deals he doing on the regulation of his companies all beg closer examination. He raises questions about his accountability, and whose interests he serves.

Hype and reality seldom mix. Elon Musk is the exception that proves the rule. The Space X IPO is set to make him the first trillionaire – but what if Competition is already eating his lunch in space-based datacentres before he’s even looked at the menu? In the Tortoise vs the Hare space race – will Jeff Bezos emerge the winner?

Rumours Starlink could be 2024’s big IPO are in circulation, but hype and the Musk effect have inflated the value of Space commercialisation and the financial actuality. What are they really worth?

The failure of Virgin Orbit to achieve the first successful satellite launch from the UK is disappointing. It puts the opportunities for space business under the spotlight. There is money to be made, but how, and by whom?

It is right to let a small number of very wealthy entrepreneurs fill Earth’s already crowded orbital space to establish non-terrestrial internet monopolies? What are the risks, and are the costs justified? Should orbital space be a public good?