Rich Cooper, VP of Strategic Communications at Space Foundation, which runs the annual Symposium, told Electronics Weekly that the government already recognises 16 sectors – such as water systems, transportation systems or financial services – and given the role space plays across a range of sectors, it needs to be similarly recognised as a critical infrastructure.
“We need to be putting it on the same playing field as the counterparts that it is already supporting,” he pointed out, to establish better connections and reactions to any impacts on space technology. “Space is the thread of connectivity that runs through these services.”
Such a move, he said would raise the level of consciousness both about the importance of space and the possible impacts that could be felt.
Space, of course, now plays a major role in areas such as earth observation (with all the environmental information that entails), PNT (for example GPS) and national security (as seen with the Russia-Ukraine war).
He highlighted the work, for example, of the Space ISAC, the space-focused information sharing and analysis center, which was created by NASA, the U.S. Space Force, and the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
Space Foundation
Founded in 1983, and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Space Foundation is a US nonprofit advocate organisation for the global space ecosystem.
This year’s Symposium (pictured above) was attended by 14,000 people this year, from 40 countries spanning governmental organisations, companies and academia. Twenty space agency leaders attended the event, highlighted Cooper. It ran, over four days, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
It was the 38th Symposium since the Foundation was created. Cooper paid particular tribute to the role of the International Space Station in bringing countries together in their space efforts and showing what could be achieved – how to build, operate and co-operate within space.
“It’s uplifting to see the different approaches, all providing conectivity with space and helping us to ghet to the next levels of technology,” he said. “The space industry has shown it can deliver on challenging assignments, whether civil or military.”
The Space Symposium 2024 will run Monday 8 – Thursday 11 April 2024.
See also: Space Foundation sizes global space economy, boosted by gov spending
