by Jacek Korneluk

I have been talking about and referring to space-related topics for a long time. I proposed a Starlink to be adopted in my project named LedgerMed back in 2022. All of a sudden, I have this feeling that the whole world just got super active with space activities. So yeah, it feels like the highest time for me to finally dedicate an article to this recently hyped-up topic.

Very often at night, I find myself looking up at the sky here in Australia. It’s super clear from my garden. Most nights, the sky is crystal clear, and I can see a lot of stars and interesting objects, even with the naked eye. Some of those objects are part of the LEO complex, some are delivery rockets, and some are… well, “other” space travellers. Sometimes, the traffic up there actually looks pretty intense.

I am usually talking about LEO, which is relatively well-known and not that far from where we are. Honestly, I can almost feel the increasing “in & out” activity going on up there, and I totally see the significance of this strange contraption just hanging straight above our heads.

I am going to investigate this unusual real estate complex floating above the clouds, and why it matters. It is playing a major role across multiple disciplines, from cutting-edge research to next-gen business models, and even in our everyday lives.

Most of my friends, including some of my family quietly think I am a bit of a nut (or just straight-up bonkers) when it comes to this stuff. I mean, they know I am into emerging tech and even those weird, hyper-object-type things… but for some reason, the whole Space topic is where most of them draw the line. It’s like, that’s the point where their brains just check out.

I am not sure why. But it is how it is.

They jump straight to aliens and UFOs, or just flat-out tell me they’ve got zero interest in any of that “sci-fi stuff.” Sometimes there is total silence – like, they literally freeze up like possums. Then, as if nothing had happened, they just carry on with a completely different topic.

I usually pretend I do not notice and just keep casually dropping references to LEO… sometimes even GEO. I mean, tell me one reason why not!

Recently, I had the pleasure of being invited to a two-day space conference organised by the Embassy of Poland in Australia and UWA. It was an absolute luxury to learn from experts, chat with space professionals, and throw a bunch of questions at people who are directly connected, associated with, or actively engaged in space activities.

Talking and interacting with true believers, the real doers in the space business finally triggered me to write this long-planned article.

Let the journey begin.

How many times have you looked up at the night sky and spotted a tiny, slow-moving dot that does not blink like a plane? That glowing speck just cruising across the darkness? That is not a UFO – at least, not one that has been openly confirmed (yet). That is a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Unbelievably weird and sounds kind of bonkers?

Maybe. But for me, and I am guessing for many of you reading this, it is not.

(By the way, I have got a friend named Leo and my daughter’s name is Agnieszka, who goes by the short name AGI, at least as far as I remember here in Australia.) My friend Robert, on the other hand, is a seasoned alien advocate. He knows all about my interest in non-human intelligence, so we have had plenty of decent conversations on that topic over the years.

You like it or not, we have got an invisible layer of constant activity happening right above our heads, ranging from 160 to 2,000 kilometres straight up above Earth’s surface. That is almost like flying from Perth, or Sydney, but vertically!!!

It is not just astronauts and science fiction playing up there anymore. We are talking a full-on business park in the sky – do not confuse with “pie in the sky”, please.

WiFi beaming across all continents, orbiting research laboratories growing and expanding their activities to a new format. You can say a booming economy that is quietly redefining what it means to own “space.”

That is LEO, the most valuable, chaotic, and exciting piece of orbital real estate most of you have probably never thought about this way… until now.

No problem, quick nerd check (but like, in a kind of funny way).

Low Earth Orbit is the zone just above our atmosphere, close enough to Earth that satellites can zip around it every 90 minutes or so. That proximity makes it perfect for things that need low latency like internet satellites, real-time imaging, GPS, and space complex-stations.

If space were a city, LEO would be downtown Manhattan. pricey, hyperactive, and running out of elbow room fast.

This is where the International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting since the early 2000s. It is also where Starlink satellites are forming constellations to deliver internet to remote corners of the world. And it is also where our weather apps, delivery drones, and probably even your grandma’s GPS watch are getting their data from.

Real cool stuff, everyday use-cases, no problem then mate.

Back in 1957, the Soviet Union (USSR) launched its famous Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, kicking off the space race. For decades, space was a Cold War battleground, with only government agencies like NASA or Roscosmos playing in the cosmic sandbox.

Fast forward to now, and space has gone almost mainstream. After decades of government dominance, the baton is being passed to private industry. NASA,apparently is encouraging this shift by supporting private companies to take over LEO operations once the ISS retires around 2030.

Many countries are now running space programs and taking part in orbital activities. I was born in Poland, so I am especially happy to see the Polish getting involved too. We have our own Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski working up there!

And to get a bit more specific, you can literally eat a Polish pierogi while dining on the orbit station. How awesome is that? I really hope you agree with me on this one.

The point is space is not just for astronauts anymore. It is quickly becoming the new frontier for startups, researchers, “VIP tourists” (of all sorts, I guess), and of course, the big telecommunication titans.

Let’s talk money. The global space economy hit about $570 billion in 2023 and is projected to skyrocket to $2 trillion by 2040. And guess who is behind most of that?

Not governments’ commercial ventures now make up almost 80% of space industry activity.

From SpaceX to Blue Origin, Axiom Space to Nanoracks, the new players in the game are building:

• Free-flying private space stations

• Microgravity research laboratories

• Space hotels (yup, orbital Airbnbs are in the works)

• Satellite repair stations

• In-orbit manufacturing hubs

This is not just about simple launching satellites anymore. It is about building the infrastructure in space. Picture possibilities of 3D printing parts for machines or tailored drugs for precise medicine, that never have to come down. Or manufacturing materials in zero gravity that are impossible to create on Earth. Growing genetically modified tomatoes, salads, and who knows what more forms of organic stuff.

And here is a strong point!  Technologies are no longer adding one to another. They are finally multiplying and catching up.

Also, reusable rockets (thanks, SpaceX!) have brought launch costs down from hundreds of millions to single-digit millions. Which means we can get more cargo into LEO, more often, more “affordably”. Personal space travel tickets included! Believe me, I know something about that.

Before we get too hyped on LEO (which is probably too late), let’s clear up how it stacks against its older cousin:

Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO).

GEO is way higher up. It is about 35,786 km above Earth. Satellites up there move at the same rotational speed as the Earth, so they appear “stationary” in the sky. That is awesome for stuff like satellite TV, weather monitoring, and certain types of communications that need a fixed view.

But here is the small problem: because GEO is so far away, you get higher latency (longer delays in data transmission) and weaker signal strength. For stuff that needs speed and responsiveness like video calls, autonomous vehicles, edge based small language models, or real-time data from IoT sensors LEO is the clear winner. It is much closer to earth so therefore, definitely better.

Think of GEO like an old-school telephone landline. Super stable, reliable, but slow. LEO is the fast, flashy smartphone, agile, always-on, and built for the “data-heavy and always data- hungry world” we live in.

Even if you never look up that way, LEO is already changing how we live.

If you are a farmer. The chance is that you may be running sensors that talk to satellites in LEO.

My friend Tomasz has been promoting a self-driving tractor for farmers as part of his firm’s portfolio in Australia for many years now.

Another example is your flight path when you are sitting and travelling by plane. Tracked in real-time thanks to LEO satellites.

Your Netflix stream in the middle of the woods or when fishing from a boat at the ocean? Bounced off a Starlink satellite cruising overhead.

So-called Internet of Things (IoT) is expanding like crazy because LEO satellites can deliver connectivity to places that copper or optical fibre never will. We are talking remote villages, oil rigs, forests, deserts, oceans. You can think practically anywhere.

We are talking about places known for having plenty of what they call “nothingness”. Is it a new word I picked up during a space lecture here in Western Australia. Apparently, we are world-famous for having loads of it.

Until then, I had no idea that something like “nothingness” could be valuable. But now I know it, and honestly, that little fact adds a tiny boost to my general level of happiness.

Here is where it gets kind of mind-bending. LEO is starting to be treated like real estate.

Think about “air rights” in cities and owning the right to build above your building.

Now zoom out. Space companies are essentially claiming slices of LEO to operate in, like orbital property (I cannot help with think how to tokenise it!).

But there is no real legal system up there, yet. Which may be good, at least for some time. Apparently, the only major agreement we have is the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which says space cannot be “owned” by anyone.

Awesome, but it does not exactly handle the reality of thousands of satellites, space stations, and commercial modules all elbowing for room.

We are building infrastructure faster than we are building rules. And that is both exciting and sort of normal when dealing with innovation and emerging technologies. Creating proper sandboxes may help IMHO.

With so much action happening in LEO, things are getting crowded. And an over-crowded space is a dangerous space.

We have already had near-misses and actual collisions. A single dead satellite or broken rocket can shatter into thousands of pieces of debris. And when you are orbiting at 28,000 km/h? Even a paint chip can mess up your entire day.

There is also the bigger picture of that. The sustainability, ethics, and access.

Who gets to profit from a space? Who cleans up the mess? Are we just repeating the same extractive patterns, but about 200 km above Earth?

The idea of space as some cold, distant thing? That is over, at least after you read my article and watch all current media!

We are entering an era where LEO becomes a second layer of civilisation. An extension of Earth’s infrastructure. It is a place for:

• Research without gravity

• Manufacturing materials we cannot make on Earth

• Internet for the entire planet

• Permanent human presence beyond Earth’s surface

And maybe someday… orbital neighbourhoods. Habitats. Fully commercialised life in LEO. Sort of Space FIFO or something.

So, one day, when you step outside on a clear night, take a second, deeper look up. Use a bare-eye, opera glasses, binoculars, or a home telescope if you have one.

That slow, silent dot sliding across the sky? That is not a fiction or hallucination. That is the beginning of a new layer of human life. The one that floats above us in near silence, beaming data, doing science, and shaping the next trillion-dollar economy.

LEO is no longer sci-fi stuff. It is space for sure, but it is also infrastructure. It is real estate. It is business. It is science. And finally, it is still ours whatever that mean.

The sky is not the limit anymore. It is just the relatively close neighbourhood above ours.

Even if you hesitate to agree right now… trust me, you’ll be saying yes soon enough.

And one last thing – important, IMO! Do not spend too much time staring up and overthinking space and the cosmos. We are based here on Earth, and there is a lot of stuff happening right now, on the ground, that matters just as much, if not more.

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