Opinion / Letter: This lunar colony will be a reality sooner than you think By Wilbur Ross

July 15, 2018
PM Sunday

The first man on the moon held an American flag. In the not-too-distant future, astronauts on the moon could hold gas pumps.

The future of US commercial space activity is promising. Space contractors are already planning their trip to Mars, and they are looking towards the Moon as the ideal place for a refueling station to refuel and replenish rockets bound for Mars. As much as it sounds like the plot of "2001: A Space Odyssey", it is getting closer to reality sooner than you'd ever thought possible.

A privately financed US space industry is the reason. This industry is advancing by leaps and bounds. The global space economy is close to $ 350 billion and is expected to become a multimillion dollar industry. There are more than 800 US operational satellites in orbit, and by 2024 this number could exceed 15,000. Thanks to public-private partnerships, for the first time in seven years, US rockets will soon be transporting NASA astronauts in space. Long dormant, Cape Canaveral is now buzzing with activity. America is once again leading in space.

Space tourism may be only one year away. Tickets for human flights in low Earth orbit have already sold for $ 250,000 each. Terrestrial mining companies may soon face stiff competition from the extraction of gold, silver, platinum and rare earths on asteroids and even other planets. A race is already under way to create the technology that will bring back these crucial resources to the earth

The competition is already fierce, Russia and China defying the United States for leadership and about 70 other countries making their way way in the space. But the space race of today is different. It is led by innovative companies that are finding new solutions to access the space faster, cheaper and more efficiently.

These companies are looking for new ideas for space trade and non-traditional approaches to space travel. government support and approval. They aspire for a government that acts as a facilitator, not just a regulator. The government needs to create frameworks that allow, rather than stifle, the industry.

Unfortunately, our regulatory system for private space exploration and trade has not followed this rapidly changing industry. For example, when it comes to allowing cameras in space, we are looking at small scientific satellites for scientific projects like the billions of dollars of national defense, leaving too little of time and resources to meet critical national security needs. In May, President Trump signed the Space Policy Directive 2, which will make important progress towards modernizing our outdated space policies. These changes include the creation of a new office, the Corporate Business Administration Branch, within my office, to coordinate the Department's coordination of commercial space activities and create a "one-stop shop". on behalf of the emerging private space sector. [19659007CeseraunchangementmajeurÀmonseulministèreilyasixbureauxdansl'industriespatialeUnbureaudépartementalunifiépourlesbesoinsdesentreprisespermettraunemeilleurecoordinationdesactivitésliéesàl'espaceÀcettefinj'aichargétouslesbureauxduDépartementducommerced'assurerlaliaisonaveclanouvelleadministrationdel'espacenotammentl'AdministrationducommerceinternationalleBureaudel'industrieetdelasécuritél'Administrationnationaledestélécommunicationsetdel'atmosphère19659007] When companies seek advice on the launch of satellites, the Space Administration will be able to address a range of space activities: remote sensing, economic development, purchasing policies data, GPS, spectrum policy, trade promotion, space standards and technologies. traffic management. The new office will also allow the ministry to manage its increasing responsibilities in the space.

The ministry will play a greater role in regulating and promoting space activity. But as an agency charged with promoting job creation and economic growth, we will not only engage in surveillance, but we will support US companies so that they can compete and lead on a foot of equality.

Together, these efforts will discourage US industry. ensure US leadership in space. This is essential for technological innovation, economic growth, employment and national security. But, perhaps more importantly, it rejuvenates the American passion for space exploration.

I still remember when President John F. Kennedy said that America would put a man on the moon and that Neil Armstrong would make that first step on the moon. landscape. Stuck on television, the Americans were filled with enthusiasm and national pride during the Apollo missions.

In April, I felt this same passion by visiting the Colorado Springs Space Symposium with Vice President Mike Pence. "As we push human exploration deeper into space, we will unleash the unlimited potential of the pioneering commercial space companies in America," said Vice President to the Crowd

. , capital and political will. The United States must seize this moment

Wilbur Ross
Washington DC.

About: Wilbur Ross is the United States Secretary of Commerce.

Received on July 15, 2018
– Published July 15, 2018

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