World Space Week begins today, Thursday 4 October – a global series of global events hosted by the United Nations. This year's theme: 'Space unites the world'. Three new reports published today by the UK Space Agency emphasise how the potential of the space industry lies in not just in gazing out from Earth to the cosmos, but also in looking back to Earth from orbit in order to solve terrestrial problems. The reports reveal how the industry can help to save lives and livelihoods from natural disasters, address the major challenges confronting the agriculture sector, and deliver better management of forests to improve production and protect nature on a global scale. The first document, Space for Disaster Resilience in Developing Countries, explains how the space sector is well placed to contribute new types of information.