For years, the private sector has envisioned an illustrious future in space — an extraterrestrial playground with tourists flying to and from orbiting hotels and the occasional trip to Mars being as easy as a transatlantic flight. But if the space economy is to become a $1 trillion sector by 2040, as one Citigroup report suggested, not all of its enterprises will be so grandiose.
Initially, Asparouhov’s vision was much broader than pharmaceuticals. He pictured other products — such as fiber optics and semiconductors — being manufactured in space, yielding better quality materials than those made terrestrially. But those business plans were left on the cutting room floor — at least for now. Pharmaceuticals “are the most valuable chemicals per unit mass,” Bruey said. “And they also have a large market on Earth.