Early internationalization of space firms providing services for sustainable development goals

Abstract

New space economy is evolving every day. Recognizing the changing aspects of the ever vary-ing highly technology-oriented space industry is also becoming increasingly critical and inter-esting as well. An ever-varying business topography, rapid improvements in the space tech-nology industry, and a new space economy lined the way for internationalizing themselves. Space firms are unique and complex to understand due to their nature. This uniqueness has enabled these space firms to undergo challenges in many of the existing theories in the in-ternational business field.

To provide a deeper understanding of how these space firms expand internationally, this thesis explores its internationalization through an investigation of their internationalization trails, business ecosystem and their encounters. For exploring this phenomenon, the thesis was conducted by the utilization of multiple case studies with a semi-structured question-naire. Through in-depth interviews and data analysis, the thesis identifies key considerations shaping the internationalization strategies of these firms including technological innovation, market entry challenges, and other roles of partnerships.

The findings show that space firms are born global, and they are utilizing the network model with resource dependency for their early internationalization. These behaviors are substan-tially entwined, with respectively guiding others. The findings also expose that though space firms face unique obstructions, their contributions to sustainable development goals and global collaboration are substantial.

Improving and strengthening existing international business theories to adapt the space firms’ internationalization phenomena, the thesis makes several research contributions. It enhances the understanding of the early internationalization of space firms. Through the case studies from different seven firms situated in different five countries portraying insights into it. While posits the early internationalization of these firms it also introduces some new wisdom on networking relationships founded on the resources they have. This research not only fills ex-isting gaps in the literature on international business and space firms but also provides realis-tic insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders aiming to leverage space technologies for sustainable development. The thesis concludes with recommendations for future research and implications for the broader field of international business.