Opinion
Opinion section includes op-eds, columns, commentaries and editorials on all things related to the global space business enterprise.
Op-ed | The costs of extreme weather and climate are soaring. Commercial space data should be a bigger part of the solution
There is no one magic bullet to improving forecasts and reining in the costs of extreme weather and climate. To truly tap into the powerful innovation of the private sector, we must think beyond a few targeted, yet piecemeal commercial data buys.
Op-ed | Peace in the Era of Weaponized Space
We are on the verge of a new era in space security: the age of diverse and highly capable dual-use space systems that can serve both peaceful and anti-satellite (ASAT) purposes.
Op-ed | It’s time to seriously consider space-based solar power
Hefty technological obstacles remain, but space-based solar power’s potential to provide clean, inexhaustible energy warrants a concerted public research and development effort.
Tech Breakthrough Morphs Gigabit WiFi into Terabit Satellite Internet
Reformulated terrestrial radio MIMO technology could empower SpaceX to singlehandedly bridge the global digital divide by decade’s end
Op-ed | The Success of Artemis Hinges on NASA’s Commitment to Competition
"Competition is the engine of entrepreneurialism," Mark J. Sundahl writes. "Without it, SpaceX and other companies will lack the impetus to produce a superior product at the best price."
Op-ed | Commerce Department, NOAA ensuring U.S. remains a world leader in space commerce
Space traffic management stuck in gridlock? The U.S. Commerce Department and NOAA say they will be ready this fall to "lay out procurement strategies, organizational framework, and governance approach for civilian space situational awareness services."
Op-ed | America’s permanent and resilient presence in space will be nuclear powered
As Congress prepares NASA’s budget for fiscal year 2022, it has a valuable opportunity to ensure that America remains the world’s leader in sustainable space exploration by continuing to fund the development of advanced space nuclear technology.
Op-ed | Japan’s Space Journey: From the Land of the Rising Sun to the Moon
To appreciate how Japan’s space ecosystem functions today, consider where it started.
Foust Forward | The sky isn’t falling (yet)
When SpaceX launched the first set of 60 Starlink satellites, the unexpected appearance of the satellites in twilight skies as a bright string of pearls dismayed astronomers. With SpaceX planning to launch potentially tens of thousands of such satellites, astronomers had visions — or, more accurately, nightmares — of a ruined night sky.
On National Security | Moving data through space a linchpin of DoD’s strategy for winning wars
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed off last month on a strategy document that tells the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force to figure out how to share data on the battlefield. Space-based communications will be at the core of this strategy known as Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2).
Op-ed | To solve for Arctic connectivity, governments need a network suited to their unique needs
Space is becoming more congested and communications all over the globe — but particularly in the Arctic region — are often contested.
Op-ed | Mind the gap in low Earth orbit
The ISS will inevitably need to be retired, and it is incumbent upon NASA and the entire American space community to avoid a space station gap.
Op-Ed | Who wants to step up to a $10 billion risk?
A proposed satellite constellation would be registered in Papua New Guinea, which has not stepped up to accept specific international responsibility or liability for the activities of commercial entities it has licensed.
Connecting the Dots | Space after SPACs: Industry could be on the verge of new investment era
The SPAC investment trend injecting billions of dollars into early-stage space startups appears to have peaked, but in its wake could be larger capital infusions from institutional investors with deeper pockets.
Op-ed | Assessing new launch vehicles on the market
Launch service providers and integrators exist at the intersection of two highly specialized fields: launch vehicle development and satellite development. These fields overlap, but generally contain different specialties, with both groups speaking fundamentally different languages.
Op-ed | NOAA is stalling U.S. space traffic management
Rather than move forward with efforts to work with industry on space traffic management solutions, the Commerce Department is funding studies of topics that in some cases were addressed in a report last year by NAPA, risking both U.S. leadership in the field and space safety generally.
