Abstract
Space weather studies the activity of the Sun and its interaction with the Earth. Solar flares are likely to affect our modern society, which is increasingly dependent on technology (telecommunications, electricity…). Hence the need to produce goods to protect us against the Sun’s wrath. In this research paper, we propose a definition of space weather goods. Then, we show that they respect specific characteristics described in the managerial economics literature. Indeed, they correspond to public goods and more precisely to merit goods which require the intervention of the State to avoid a market failure. Nevertheless, the emergence of new private actors to provide space weather goods calls into question the current “free-of-charge” distribution by public actors and raises the question of their commercialisation and pricing. We propose a “freemium” model supported by a triad organisation as a solution that could reconcile both public and private interests.
