Many take for granted that our phones connect to GPS satellites to help us navigate, or that the weatherman on CNC3 has up-to-date satellite images of potential hurricanes forming in the ocean. All of these practical use cases rely on satellites in space, which are supported by a complex industrial base here on Earth.
As the yearly budget debate in Parliament approaches, there will be talk about the need to diversify and grow the economy of T&T. One topic that has never been discussed is the rapidly growing space economy. Novaspace’s 12th annual Space Economy Report puts the global space economy at $626.4 billion in 2025, on a growth trajectory toward $1.01 trillion by 2034.
The space economy employs hundreds of thousands worldwide, although only the USA publishes statistics on this; the US Bureau of Economic Analysis found the space economy supported 373,000 private-sector jobs in 2023.
Thousands of workers are required to build and design satellites for research into the climate, or to provide high-speed internet access to remote locations and to aircraft and ships at sea. Thousands more have to build the rockets required to launch the satellites into space.
Space may also hold some of the answers to Earth’s climate and energy crisis. Solar power on Earth is limited by the day/night cycle and requires large amounts of land, with T&T’s own Brechin Castle solar farm covering over 500 acres.
An article by David Homfray, writing for the WEF, highlights the ways in which space-based solar solves all these problems.
“One such potential frontier for securing a truly clean and abundant energy future may be space-based solar power (SBSP). The concept, first proposed by Peter Glaser in 1968, is simple: It involves placing large satellites with solar panels in geostationary orbit, some 36,000 kilometres above the Earth. Here, they bask in uninterrupted sunlight, 24/7. This constant stream of solar energy is then converted into microwaves and beamed down to receiving stations on the ground.
“The beam itself is safe; at a peak intensity of around 230W/m², it is about a quarter of the strength of the midday sun.
“The energy is collected by a receiving antenna, or “rectenna”, a lightweight mesh of antennas on poles. This makes the ground station relatively inexpensive to build. Because the rectenna is largely transparent, the land beneath can be used for growing crops or co-located with terrestrial solar panels, enabling dual use. The rectenna converts the microwave energy back into electricity.”
News outlets have also discussed investments in space-based solar power for AI data centres to become sustainable.
While all this discussion of advanced technology may seem beyond the capability of our country to engage in, we have already made small steps towards engaging in the space economy.
Thanks to a partnership with the Government of Mexico, T&T already has the Caribbean Geospatial Observation Centre (CGOC) at UWI St Augustine. The press release written by Kieran Khan states, “Born from a landmark collaboration between The UWI, the Government of Mexico, and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) of Mexico, the centre is a data-driven response to some of the Caribbean’s most pressing challenges—from coastal erosion and urban expansion to flooding, food insecurity, and sargassum blooms.
“This centre allows us to do things that simply weren’t possible before—not just faster, but smarter,” said Professor Bheshem Ramlal, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and one of the principal architects behind the project. “It’s about empowering our region to make informed, impactful decisions, rooted in reliable geospatial data that we can now process faster than ever in history.”
Mexico ranks 12th in the world for aerospace manufacturing and has already constructed microsatellites that have been placed in orbit around Earth for academic research. Mexico has plans to invest in its space program to produce its own satellite infrastructure.
The government of Trinidad and Tobago should have an official space policy and seek to partner with Mexico to explore the feasibility of having a role in the space industry. This may mean something as simple as a factory that makes specialised wiring for satellites, as T&T already produces wiring.
Several Trinis already have training in the space industry, such as Kaylon Paterson, who worked as a space systems engineer for the US Space Force before becoming the CEO of Paterson Aerospace, his startup.
Dr Curtis Boodoo recently wrote in the Trinidad Express, arguing for nuclear power plants to be established in Pt. Lisas. A space-based solar power system may be an alternative to nuclear energy with its many safety concerns. Future AI data centres could be powered by space-based solar power, saving natural gas for use in other industries.
T&T already has a strong relationship with the government of Mexico to get technical assistance on entering the space economy. In the coming decades, thousands of jobs could be created in both T&T and Mexico in factories that build components for satellites.
