There was a time not so long ago that space was known as the final frontier--the exclusive domain of governments and a small handful of aerospace companies who could muster the technology and resources to depart the Earth's atmosphere. Today, however--similar to what we've observed with technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing that were once accessible only to universities and research labs--space technologies are being democratized thanks in part to the cloud. I closed out last year with a prediction that space will be the area where we see some of the greatest advancements when it comes to novel application of cloud capabilities. Now, only six months later, a new crop of space pioneers are preparing to supercharge their efforts with cloud technology. Within the emerging commercial space industry, where it's feasible for even small startups to make a big impact by introducing innovative new space technologies, the cloud will be critical to accelerating experimentation, expanding automation, and delivering deeper insights. Getting to this point of expanded commercial activity was no accident.

The world is heading for a'wild west' free for all in space that could lead to disaster as firms fight for every scrap of resource in low Earth orbit, an expert has warned. Paul Kostek, a space policy specialist from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), says global agreement is'highly unlikely' anytime soon. As the commercial space sector continues to grow at a rapid rate, firms are vying to launch constellations of satellites and new experimental craft into low Earth orbit. This has left astronomers frustrated and struggling due to'blots in the sky' that make observations harder and less accurate, as well as concerns over space junk. The need for regulation has become more pressing after satellites from OneWeb and SpaceX Starlink came close to hitting each other last week.

They tuned in by the tens of thousands, crowding around their screens the way residents of the Florida Space Coast once jammed the beaches to witness rocket launches at the dawn of the Space Age. But the audience watching SpaceX's live web broadcast of its launch from Cape Canaveral on Friday was treated to a show that until just a few years ago was widely discounted as impossible -- the vertical landing of the Falcon 9 rocket, which used its engine thrust to slow down and touch softly on a boat in the Atlantic Ocean. On Sunday morning, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft caught up to the International Space Station. Flying at 17,500 mph, the spacecraft pulled up alongside the orbiting laboratory, and at 7:23 a.m., European astronaut Tim Peake grabbed it using a robotic arm. While the main mission was to deliver food and cargo to the station, it was the landing at sea that was hailed as a breakthrough. President Obama, whose administration followed through with controversial plans to retire the space shuttle and contract out missions to the space station, tweeted his congratulations.