Space

Space Requires a Whole of Government Approach

For over 60 years, U.S. government and private sector investments in space programs have enabled a $400 billion per year global economy supporting hundreds of thousands of highly skilled American workers across America. Space activities are essential to modern life: they extend communications to every point on Earth; underpin our digital economy with navigation and timing capabilities; enable critical weather forecasts; provide a deeper understanding of our planet, solar system, and universe; and revolutionize U.S. national security capabilities, providing America’s armed forces a significant advantage.

Space provides the U.S. an avenue to apply all instruments of national power – diplomatic, informational, military, and economic. These capabilities are accomplished across three interconnected sectors: civil space, commercial space, and national security space. As the U.S. becomes increasingly reliant on space for economic, security, and scientific endeavors, the interconnectivity of these sectors requires cross-government policies and investment. Both U.S. reliance on space and potential threats to space systems drive the need to ensure safe operation in and through space.

AIA Cross-Government Space Priorities

• Invest in education and workforce development programs to broaden the size and diversity of the next generation space workforce.
• Ensure U.S. government policy and regulation enables the U.S. space industry to remain the global leader and serve as a backstop against protectionist subsidization by U.S. near-peers and global competitors.
• Leverage existing commercial capabilities within the U.S. space industry to the maximum extent possible.
• Invest in space research and development to foster continued U.S. industry leadership.
• Continuously assess regulations, including licensing and export rules, to ensure the U.S. remains a competitive regulatory environment and the U.S. space industry maintains global leadership.