Enabling Policy: The Significance of policy instruments on the future commercial opportunities in Earth and Space Exploration. Whose on first?

Paper number

IAC-06-E3.2.02

Author

Ms. Joan Harvey, Canadian Space Agency, Canada

Year

2006

Abstract

For the past thirty-three years, the world's human space exploration activities have been centered on low-earth orbit activities.  For the past twenty years the focus of major space-faring nations has been upon the development of the international space sttion capabillities to serve as both a research platform and a stepping-stone to the next challenge.

A new energy has catalyzed around the future of human and robotic space exploration.  China, Europe and the US have all come out to establish their own space exploration strategy complete with the expressed desire to lead major initiatives.  Implicit in discussions to date is the impression that no single country or region has a monopoly on the ideas or technical capabilities for space exploration and that in fact space-faring nationals of the world possess varying levels of expertise on the key technical challenges for human space exploration.

Flanking the ever-increasing discussions concerning exploration has come an even sharper focus on the major policy issues which are viewed as current (if not future) hindrances, if not full-blown impediments, to commercial ventures for earth-based and evidently exploration-based ventures.  Some of these policy 'challenges' include foreign policy, national space policies, data policy, legal frameworks and regulations.  This paper will examine a range of these policy instruments in terms of their significance for impeding/promoting commercial opportunities and ventures in Earth and Space Exploration with a view to identifying ways to resolve or mitigate effects.  Time and space will also be devoted to discussing perhaps an even more debilitating obstacle---namely, the perceived lack of compelling purpose for space exploration.  This is an obstacle or challenge (whether real or perceived)---that both the public and private sectors share and this paper will examine ways to work together in developing compelling policy and business reasons for enabling major public and private investments in space exploration.

Abstract document

IAC-06-E3.2.02.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-E3.2.02.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.