Public and private sector representatives cited the need for collaboration in current and future space missions at this year’s International Astronautical Congress in Washington, D.C., Space News reported Tuesday.
Ryan Whitley, civil space policy director at the National Space Council, told attendees that investing in private sector partnerships will enable the government to benefit from a strong space economy and reduced costs for space missions.
“Public-private partnerships are essential to what we are trying to do,†said Margaret Kieffer, director of NASA’s Export Control and Interagency Liaison Division. “Entrepreneurs see the advantage and the economic benefit of putting their own skin in the game.â€
Kevin O’Connell, director of the Office of Space Commerce within the Department of Commerce, said his office is working with entrepreneurs to help grow the space economy and simplify regulations.
“We see entrepreneurs thinking about training and feeding people who will live and work on the moon for long periods of time,†he noted.
According to Kieffer, NASA currently has around 700 partnerships with entities around the world.
