Our relationship with outer space has long focused on extending humanity’s reach as far as technology allows. That narrative is shifting, however. While colonising Mars and gazing into distant galaxies continue to capture the fantasies of science fiction, the next space race is already underway. And this one is being fought far closer to home.
Satellite launches were once reserved for the world’s leading powers. Today, it’s the private sector that sends mega-constellations into orbit from across the globe. As navigation, communication, and monitoring technologies help the planet grow smaller, the next decade will witness a new battle to occupy the edge of our atmosphere. But at what cost?
Just as sustainability now shapes almost every policy debate down on Earth, increasing attention is also being paid to events on the other side of the ozone layer. That’s why Access Partnership has chosen space sustainability as one of our Tech Policy Trends for 2023.
Each year, we ask our experts across the technology sector to harness their understanding of government relations, policy analysis, and compliance and licensing to highlight what they think will be 10 of the defining issues of the next 12 months. This year’s edition offers more insight than ever before.
From their design and launch processes to how they operate in space and are brought down following deactivation, satellites’ entire lifecycles are facing unprecedented levels of scrutiny. Inter-governmental cooperation is already underway at the highest levels to prevent a build-up of space debris, but global consensus remains as distant as the satellites themselves. How do policymakers go about policing what happens beyond the reach of national borders?
Competition among countries and companies to control the area above our skies will only accelerate over the coming years and decades. The implications for us back on Earth are huge. Download our report to find out more.
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Access Partnership is the world’s preeminent technology advisory, working to create policy, regulatory, and legal routes to market since 1999. We offer a unified service to implement tech-led solutions for an increasingly tech-based society by identifying where regulations do not support innovation. Follows us on LinkedIn, on Twitter, or follow our updates on accesspartnership.com to stay up-to-date with the latest news and insight.
