How to Make Radical Change In... Space Flight Part 1
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Welcome to the Pillars of Radical Change Weekly Posts:
Lessons from Unconventional Agent of Change
Excited to talk to you today about the changes we've been seeing in spaceflight!
Space Flight Journey
We are living in pivotal times for the New Space industry. As the race for Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to grow exponentially, the U.S. space sector has regained its gumption and once again made history with Artemis II, an American-made rocketship. Where the future is headed, we see AI and spaceflight collide at a rapid pace, propelling each other toward a world where launches might be possible daily, or even multiple times a day. We are not far from the idea, as Elon Musk just released the AI1 on-orbit AI data center!
When speaking about spaceflight, I include all aspects, from satellites orbiting our planet Earth to missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond in deep space. Where human access is not limited but welcomed.
The industry has returned to the Moon through a flyby, a vital step towards a future Moon landing—a vision 30+ years in the making since Apollo 17 in 1972. This mission demonstrated that to move forward in innovation and build a better future, we sometimes have to go back to the basics. This event has reignited our country's desire to move beyond a simple—yet not-so-simple—flyby. In recent days, our current NASA administrator has set a major goal: a Moon base by 2030! This is the moment when I say we have finally arrived at a point in time that resembles the series “For All Mankind,” where spaceflight truly opens the door to human access to space. [ I love that show!]
The Road Ahead
Clearly, spaceflight is the vehicle for continuous human access to space, from taking humans beyond our planet Earth to satellite constellations. Deep space travel, colonies and planetary bases on the Moon, Mars, or beyond, and of course, spaceflight for Earth’s benefit are all within reach. We still have this planet to care for and learn from, even as space travel extends to worlds beyond our orbit. Change is the only constant, and over the past 20 years, our industry has embraced the inclusion of private aerospace companies. Maintaining that change has been possible because of the ecosystem—the current environment that sustains New Space and prevents us from reverting to “Old Aerospace”—and because we have continued on a steady path in this new era. The opportunities are now endless, not just for the USA, but also for other countries making their mark known.
Furthermore, broad access to space allows us to place satellite constellations in LEO, MEO, and GEO orbits to provide imagery and communications services to Earth. We can now better understand our planet through high-quality imagery that maps terrain for agriculture and reveals how our society has evolved in terms of infrastructure. Advances in aerospace technology have deepened our understanding of Earth, better preparing us to build colonies on other planets and to continue deep space exploration. We are part of something much larger than ourselves, which is very humbling. As a woman of faith, I see no boundaries in space but infinite possibilities in a universe created by a limitless Creator.
Thus, I am interested in being part of this next phase of the space industry by architecting technical change frameworks that optimize teams' operations and creating mission-critical environments where people can thrive, succeed, and innovate. We can share this vast frontier with partners around the world. There is more than enough power and opportunity for all of us to participate.
Call to Action
What are your thoughts about on-orbit AI datacenters?
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