Coopetition in Mearth. A strategy beyond rivalry to develop the Moon-Earth ecosystem

The space economy, which refers to the diverse economic activities and industries that are related to outer space and space exploration, has been steadily growing over the years and has become a significant driver of technological innovation and economic growth. The growth of the space economy has been facilitated by technological advancements, reduced launch costs, and increased participation from private companies. This paper explores a new geographic space called “Mearth”, representing the Moon and Earth as a unified space. Specifically, the paper focuses on the innovations developed within the Mearth ecosystem that can contribute to an improved future. It is a conceptual-theoretical paper aiming to identify viable solutions to attract investments, generate technologies, and establish a new ecosystem within the novel geographic space of Mearth. This contribution supports the view that the coopetition strategy - essentially entailing cooperation among competitors - could represent the most suitable approach to join efforts to implement Mearth's economic system and its ecosystem. The primary reason lies in this strategy's ability to align the divergent interests of the ecosystem stakeholders. In terms of outcomes, the paper shows that a coopetition strategy leads to win-win solutions and will benefit all stakeholders in the Mearth ecosystem.