On Sunday, Japan’s Hayabusa2 landed safely in Australia, completing its six-year mission to collect samples from an asteroid 'Ryugu'. Scientists believe that Ryugu could contain organic matter, which could have contributed to life on Earth. Meanwhile, China’s Chang'e5, which landed on the moon on December 1, is one step closer in bringing home the first samples of the moon in since 1976. The landing site is said to contain rocks and soil that are 3.2 to 4 billion years old. These samples can help scientists to understand the Moon's volcanic activities.

The European Space Agency also have many missions that will study planets, exoplanets and blackholes. NASA has two missions planned for 2021, of which one will search for signs of life on Mars while the other will study the first galaxies in the early universe. India's ISRO is planning  a series of missions -- like the Chandrayaan-3, the Gaganyaan human space mission and a mini- International Space Station. Even smaller nations, like Israel and the UAE, and private companies, like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, are entering this field like never before.

In fact, space companies received $5.8 billion across 198 investment rounds in 2019, topping $5.1 billion of investment in 2017, according to a report by New York investment firm Space Angels.

But, why are public and private players investing in space technology?