The alternative is a prolonged phase of mission-locked spending that never compounds into lasting commercial activity, and enormous amounts of capital and political will spent without building something that endures. Which way it goes will depend, in part, on whether the analytical work to understand it gets built — rigorously, independently — and internalized by the ecosystem. That is what Orbital Progress exists to do. And the Founding Circle is how we get there.
The work
OP publishes structured research on market formation in the space economy: not commentary, not advocacy, but the kind of grounded analysis that helps serious people make better decisions. We examine who is actually paying for what, on what terms, and what that behavior reveals about where genuine commercial markets are forming — and where they are not.
The ecosystem
Beyond the research, OP engages directly with the ecosystem — with early-stage companies, investors, and program leaders who are making foundational decisions about what the space economy becomes. The goal isn’t commentary after the fact. It’s to help ensure that the commercial structures forming right now are built on genuine market discipline, not just market labels. That kind of engagement, at this moment, is where analysis compounds into something larger.
§01 · The invitation
We’re forming the Founding Circle — the group of early supporters who will make this work possible. These are people who believe that rigorous, independent analysis of the space economy is worth building, and who want to be part of building it from the start.
What patronage means
Founding Circle patrons are partners in the work. In practice, that means:
Shaping what we pursue.
Input on the research agenda — which questions, which industries, which programs deserve analytical attention.
Seeing the work early.
Access to research and findings before public release.
Being part of the conversation.
Invitations to engage with researchers and practitioners as the work develops — briefings, discussions, and occasional convenings around the research.
A place in the founding record.
Orbital Progress is being built now. The people who supported it at the start will be part of its institutional history.
If this resonates, write. The founder responds personally during the founding period. Conversations are private.