For SpaceX, global dominance may not be written in the stars

The excitement around SpaceX, fuelled by the targeted US$1.8 trillion valuation for its initial public offering and its promising Starship rocket development, has revived a familiar claim: that SpaceX is on course to dominate the space-market" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="137532" data-entity-type="topic">space market.Commercially, that view is understandable. SpaceX conducts more space launches than anyone and at very competitive costs, its Starlink satellite internet company provides strong in-house demand, and it has a scale advantage unmatched by any other private space company.But space is no ordinary, commercial, open market. It is a strategic domain where launch, satellite communications, remote sensing and orbital infrastructure are tied directly to sovereignty, security and industrial policy.