 or renting a video (Netflix) or getting a takeaway pizza (Deliveroo). It is useful, but hardly earth-shattering in the way that earlier waves of scientific breakthroughs were. Its propagandists try to claim that a new wave of green technology will be the transformation the world needs, but there is very little sign of it so far. All we have really seen is souped-up windmills, which have been around for at least 1,000 years. But a new, highly competitive space race might potentially be the trigger for a new wave of products that will end up as an essential part of ev){kind=link}
A new Asian-led space race will lift us out of our low growth, low innovation rut
The space race gave us freeze-dried food, the basics of modern computer technology, medical treatments and firefighting equipment, among many other innovations – although not, despite the popular legend, teflon, which was actually first invented in the 1930s.
Even though they were vastly expensive, the historic Apollo Moon landings of the late 1960s and early 1970s had huge technological spin-offs. They kick-started many industries that are now an essential part of everyday life.
It could be about to happen again. With India, Japan and China, as well as perhaps South Korea, all sending vehicles to land on the surface of the Moon, we are about to witness a second great age of lunar exploration.
From boosting research in developing countries, to creating new lower cost ways of exploring space, to potentially opening up mines, and in time perhaps whole colonies, we may be about to see a whole new generation of space exploration spin-offs.