Today and as we look to the future, space systems play an ever-increasing role in our lives. They help guide us from place to place, they inform us about the weather, and they connect us to one another. Additionally, they are an increasingly important part of our national security infrastructure.

The size and extent of the global space economy hints at its importance. The World Economic Forum forecasts that direct investment in space infrastructure (satellites, launchers, rovers, and exploration) will grow from $330B in 2023 to $755B in 2035. Over the same period, the indirect economy derived from space will grow from $300B to over $1T. Space is just as intertwined in the fabric of our lives as the telephone was in its earliest days.