The space economy is expanding enormously, with the participation of an ever-increasing number of actors, and today stands at a value of about 400 billion dollars, destined to become a 'trillion economy' within a few years. With advances in technology and growth in funding, both public and private, a host of opportunities for activities have opened up – from services deriving from satellite technology, to space mining, to the development of innovative space exploration and communications technologies, to even talk of space tourism… In this Story Scanner episode, Simonetta Di Pippo, former director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and new director of the Space Economy Evolution Lab (SEE Lab) at SDA Bocconi, talks about why the space economy is such a hot topic at the moment and the opportunities it has opened up, but also the challenges such as the sustainability of the ecosystem and governance of space. Whilst Giovanni Sylos Labini, CEO of Planetek Italia, gives some insight from a company working in the space economy field.