Not Just Renting Desks: Why We Need to Rethink the System of Systems That Shapes Space Innovation
I’ve been sitting at the intersection of academia, startups, technology, government, and the space sector for long enough now to feel the tension between what we say we value — and what we actually resource, support, or believe in. And it’s getting harder to stay quiet about it.
There’s a persistent, outdated bias in the system. A sense that if you’re a startup founder working from a coworking space, you’re not building “real” infrastructure. That renting a desk instead of owning a building is somehow a symbol of fragility — or worse, unseriousness. It’s a lazy misunderstanding, and a dangerous one.
Because what if we stopped thinking in isolation — and started thinking in systems?
Space is not just about spacecraft. Academia is not just about publications. Startups are not just about pitch decks. And government isn’t just about policy.
These things, like us, exist in a complex system of systems. Interdependent. Interconnected. Alive.
If we reduce our support, investment, or recognition only to the most visible, most “institutional” layers of the ecosystem, we miss the truth: innovation lives in the flows between things. People, ideas, collaborations, unexpected alliances — this is the fuel of progress.
I see it every day.
In SPAN (the Space Academic Network), we bring together researchers who aren’t just writing papers, but shaping the questions that define the future of the sector. We see academics who want to engage with government, and startups who want to collaborate with universities — if only the doors between those worlds were easier to open.
In the London Space Network (LSN), I see people turning up month after month — early-career, seasoned leaders, founders, investors, policymakers who are all driven by the need to connect. Not just to network. To plug into a broader current of activity that feels alive and urgent and hopeful.
And that’s why I get frustrated when I hear closed-system thinking, the kind that forgets our ecosystem is more than the sum of its parts. When people say, “that’s not a serious company, they’re working out of a WeWork*,” or “that founder can’t open a conference, they are too early stage” I hear echoes of gatekeeping. Of missed opportunity. Of future value discounted too early.
The truth is: we need all of it. And we need bridges between it.
The future of space — and of our society — is going to be co-created by those who are willing to move across boundaries, share power, challenge assumptions, and build together. That means funding research with application in mind. It means opening up government to work with agile startups. It means valuing community as a strategic asset, not a side project.
We are building more than rockets. We are building relationships, resilient systems, and regenerative thinking that will shape the next decade of innovation — on Earth and beyond.
So no, we’re not just renting desks. We’re building the future. And we’re doing it together.
*name has been changed but refers to a co-working space in a well-recognised science and innovation centre
