Samuel Conley,  

Sponsor or Client: 

Title:

Commercial Outer Space: What does it all mean?

Abstract:

Outer space activity has undergone several interesting developments in recent years and has shown to be increasingly falling under the dominant influence of commercial enterprise. Whereas 20th century outer space saw exploration being largely conducted by US and Soviet Union space programs––an extension of their Cold War rivalry––today, the leadership of government agencies has been greatly reduced, and instead is offset by SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Virgin Galactic, and others. These companies, along with thousands of startups, are paving the way for the proliferation of a new, multi-billion market in outer space. This presentation will attempt to address: the historical backdrop of this transition, as well as the implications that commercialized outer space activity may have for the domestic politics, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.