Report warns of challenges to U.S. leadership in space

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Report warns of challenges to U.S. leadership in space
Abbey and Lane make recommendations for U.S. space policy in American Academy of Arts and Sciences Paper

The U.S. must bolster the competitiveness of its commercial space industry, expand international cooperation and refocus on basic science to hold on to its traditional leadership position in space, according to a paper that Rice University’s George Abbey and Neal Lane wrote for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In a study titled “United States Space Policy: Challenges and Opportunities,” Abbey and Lane identify three important shifts in U.S. plans for space as threats to the nation’s long-term scientific interests in space: proposals by the military to place weapons in space, decreased funding for civilian space science and an unwillingness to collaborate with international partners on space initiatives. The study also finds that changes in export-control policies, which now require all satellites to be regulated as munitions, have led to significant market-share losses for U.S. suppliers in recent years, threatening the long-term viability of the U.S. commercial satellite industry.