Naive “day without space” article in Forbes

by | Oct 5, 2023 | Blog

Image: Shutterstock

What’s New: An article in Forbes by the Executive Chairman of York Space Systems.  It:

  • Praises Space Force’s great work and the quality of their folks – yes, we agree.
  • Advocates for a more diverse, hybrid, military/commercial space architecture – yes we agree.
  • Says if we do this right, we will likely avoid “a day without space” – hmmm,,, not so sure about that one. Scientists tell us another Carrington event or worse is just a matter of time. And then there’s debris, and China and other bad actors.

Why It’s Important: 

  • GPS-based PNT signals are vulnerable, yet essential to virtually every technology.
  • We do, indeed, need a “hybrid” PNT system, but one that includes terrestrial PNT systems also to combine with space-based.

What Else to Know:

  • The author of the article is the chair of a satellite company, AND the Chair of the Small Satellite Alliance.

 

 

A Day Without Space: GPS Is Ground Zero For The New Space Race

Charles Beames

Contributor
Of all the missions the Space Force performs daily for a grateful nation, there is none more ubiquitous and essential than GPS. Today’s soldiers and sailors depend on reliable, accurate, and secure GPS as much as they do any weapon they employ. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is just as dependent on GPS to enable basic mobility and underpins every other sector of the modern global economy. The criticality of secure global navigation and timing to both warfighting and the national economy makes it unique – we simply could not go a day without space. In so few words, GPS’ future is ground zero for the new space race.