{"id":12487,"date":"2020-07-28T19:05:09","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T19:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/28\/report-calls-on-us-government-to-develop-north-star-vision-for-space\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:43:52","slug":"report-calls-on-us-government-to-develop-north-star-vision-for-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/space\/2020\/07\/28\/report-calls-on-us-government-to-develop-north-star-vision-for-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Report calls on US government to develop \u2018North Star\u2019 vision for space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 More than 120 space specialists, including representatives from the Pentagon, are calling on the United States to develop and promote a \u201cNorth Star\u201d approach for industrial development to maintain American leadership in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The push came in a report, \u201cState of the Space Industrial Base 2020<\/a>,\u201c following a virtual workshop held in May, which saw leaders from industry, the U.S. government and academia convene virtually to discuss how the United States could maintain long-term economic and military leadership in space. The report includes six recommendations for government action to achieve this goal, as well as four recommendations for industry adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a Center for Strategic and International Studies event July 28, Space Force Chief Scientist Joel Mozer highlighted the report\u2019s first recommendation, which calls on the United States to develop a whole-of-government \u201cNorth Star\u201d vision and strategy for space industrial development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis recommendation is particularly important, and I believe that we\u2019re getting there,\u201d said Mozer, pointing to NASA\u2019s Artemis mission, the return of crewed launches to American soil and the establishment of the Space Force as positive steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe importance of such a vision is that it has the potential to drive national pride and instill a culture of progress and highlights the value of STEM education for aspiring youth. There\u2019s lots of benefits of such a vision,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A main concern for Mozer, and the report more broadly, is China\u2019s efforts to supplant America\u2019s space dominance. Those efforts are driven by long-term thinking, said Mozer, and need to be countered by an American alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will say that other nations \u2014 specifically China \u2014 have a very long-term view of the future of space and they are making targeted, consistent and far-reaching investments towards their own vision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Col. Eric Felt, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory\u2019s Space Vehicles Directorate and a co-author of the report, emphasized that the United States \u201cmust not become China to beat China.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to do it the Chinese way,\u201d Felt said. \u201cWe want to do it the United States way, and really using our market-based partnerships and our economic might, as well as our military tools, to make sure that, again, we can create this virtuous cycle that feeds off of itself in terms of space commercial activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report\u2019s six recommendations for government action are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n