The Most Profound Ways Space Technology Benefits Us
There are few modern technological achievements as significant as those related to astronomy and space exploration. Such tools have increased our understanding of our solar system and beyond, yielding insights and discoveries previously relegated to the deepest confines of the imagination.
As we grow to learn more about our solar system and beyond, the resources associated with these initiatives have also produced a variety of benefits for life on Earth, building a stronger, more informed society and establishing a firmer foundation for this technology’s continued evolution.
A Better Understanding of the Planet
When considering the various technologies at play in today’s space industry, the natural instinct is to look beyond — to distant planets, celestial phenomena, and other space-related matters that may one day produce answers to our most enduring scientific and existential questions. However, these resources are equally promising for present on-Earth living — especially within sustainability and planetary health.
Prevailing satellite technology allows a clearer, more clarified view of Earth’s climate, including — but not limited to — notable shifts in the planet’s composition, metrics related to natural resources and emissions, and gauges associated with air and water quality. These capabilities expand to the tracking of natural disasters and other widespread planetary activity, giving us more time to allocate resources and project long-term impact.
Enhanced Connectivity
Space insights have also bolstered communication and digital connectivity worldwide. These shifts have been long-standing, exemplified by breakthroughs like satellite television and radio, but they have only grown quicker since their introduction. Now, as space-driven communication integrates with concepts like AI, 5G, and advanced analytics, it has helped create the most diverse, efficient network of interconnected digital pathways in the history of humankind.
Concurrent trends exist within this revolution — everything from the cellular network innovations of Starlink to the process of developing leaner, more affordable satellites for the future — and their established and ongoing disruptions suggest far-reaching implications for tomorrow.
Ongoing Inspiration
Space technology is also the crux of space-related education; it has produced the findings and insights necessary to inform younger generations of planetary composition, celestial activity, aerospace, and other key concentrations making up our understanding of astronomy. The space industry’s origins are perhaps the best evidence of this fact; even as initial space exploration became contentious and enigmatic, it spurred both interest and urgency within educational institutions.
Science and engineering, in particular, saw increased participation and funding as the country fortified its space infrastructure and looked ahead to more ambitious ventures. While some of these changes were products of a dynamic and ever-changing historical period, they underscore a key fact: as space research grows, so too must its underlying personnel, and this is a positive self-feeding cycle as we reach farther beyond than ever before — with the education system benefitting as a result.
Final Thoughts
The modern space industry continues to inspire tomorrow’s astronauts, researchers, and aerospace engineers because it must — and as industry technology grows at a faster, more innovative rate, the above benefits stand to grow at a similar pace. This notion paints a future as plentiful for Earth as it is groundbreaking beyond the planet’s confines.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Originally published at https://www.newsweek.com on May 20, 2024.
About The Author Dylan Taylor
Dylan Taylor is a global business leader, commercial astronaut, thought leader and philanthropist. Currently, Dylan serves as Chairman & CEO of Voyager Space, a multi-national space exploration firm focused on building the next generation of space infrastructure for NASA and other global space agencies.
Dylan has been recognized by Harvard University, SpaceNews, the BBC, the Financial Times, Pitchbook,CNBC, CNN and others as having played a seminal role in the growth of the private space industry. As an early-stage investor in more than 50 emerging space ventures, including Axiom, Kepler, York, Astrobotic, LeoLabs, Relativity, and Planet, Dylan is widely considered the most active private space investor in the world.
Dylan’s technical background, global business experience and unbridled passion for space make him a unique figure within his industry. As a thought leader and futurist, he has written many popular pieces on the future of the space industry for Forbes, FastCompany, Newsweek, SpaceNews, The Space Review, and Space.com. As a speaker, Dylan has keynoted many of the major space conferences around the world and has appeared regularly on Bloomberg, Fox Business, and CNBC.
Dylan has extensive global business experience as both a board director and CEO in several industries, including advanced electronics, finance and real estate. He previously served as a Director for UMB Bank, a Fortune 500 company based in Kansas City and as a mutual fund director for the Jackson Funds where he oversaw assets of $8B across 130 distinct funds. He has also served in the roles of CEO, President and Board Director for multinational companies like Prudential PLC, Honeywell, Colliers and Jones Lang LaSalle. Dylan was recognized as a Fortune 1000 CEO with P&L responsibility in excess of $3B and operations encompassing 15,000 employees in over 60 countries. In addition, Dylan has participated in 4 IPOs over the course of his career.
Dylan is a leading advocate of space manufacturing and the utilization of in-space resources to further space exploration and settlement. In 2017, he became the first private citizen to manufacture an item in space when the gravity meter he co-designed and commissioned was 3D printed on the International Space Station. The historic item is now housed in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Dylan is an explorer of note. On December 11th, 2021 Dylan became just the 606th human to go to space as part of the crew of Blue Origin’s NewShepard Mission 19. Accordingly, Dylan earned his commercial astronaut wings with the FAA and his universal astronaut wings from the Association of Space Explorers.
He is also one of only a handful of humans to have descended to the deepest part of the world’s oceans, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench as part of the Limiting Factor Expedition in July of 2022. In that mission, Dylan descended with pilot Victor Vescovo to a depth in excess of 10,800 meters (35,500 feet) into an area of the Mariana Trench that had never been visited by humans. Dylan is the youngest human to have been to the deepest part of the world’s oceans and crossed the Karman line into Space. Dylan has been a member of the Explorers Club since 2014.
Dylan maintains an extensive philanthropic impact on the space industry. In 2017, Dylan founded the nonprofit and social movement, Space for Humanity, which seeks to democratize space exploration and develop solutions to global issues through the scope of human awareness to help solve the world’s most intractable problems. Space for Humanity has successfully sent two citizen astronauts to space via Blue Origin including both the first Mexican-born woman (Katya Echazareta), and first African-born woman (Sara Sabry). Building upon his passion and support for the space industry, Dylan serves as a strategic advisor for both the Archmission and the Human Spaceflight Program and is a co-founding patron of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, which promotes the growth of commercial space activity. Additionally, he is also a leading benefactor to the Brooke Owens Fellowship, Patti Grace Smith Fellowship and Mission: Astro Access.
Dylan is the founder and Chairman of Multiverse Media, an integrated global media company focused on science and technology, with an emphasis on space. Multiverse is the parent company of the popular space philosophy website 2211.world as well as the Ad Astra Dinners, a Jeffersonian-style dinner series featuring some of the world’s leading influencers discussing the future of humanity in space. Another subsidiary of Multiverse Media, Multiverse Publishing, publishes books by leading authors including Frank White, Isaac Asimov and Gerard K. O’Neill. Multiverse is also the executive producer of the documentary film, The High Frontier and the forthcoming film, Fortitude.
For his influence as a global leader and his commitment to creating a positive impact on the world, Dylan has been honored with numerous personal and professional accolades in recent years. The World Economic Forum recognized Dylan as a Young Global Leader in 2011 and a full member of the World Economic Forum in 2014. That same year he was named a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. In 2020, Dylan was recognized by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation with their top honor for business and finance, following in the footsteps of 2019’s inaugural winner, the late Paul Allen
and subsequent winners Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Dylan Taylor earned an MBA in Finance and Strategy from the Booth School of Business at University of Chicago and holds a BS in Engineering from the honors college at the University of Arizona, where he graduated Tau Beta Pi and in 2018 was named Alumnus of the year. He is also a graduate of the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century program at Harvard University.
Dylan and his family reside in Denver, Colorado where he is active locally with Colorado Concern and theColorado Spaceport. In his spare time, Dylan enjoys hiking, competing in triathlons and spending time outdoors. As a weekend warrior athlete, Dylan has more than 25 top ten finishes and 25 age group wins to his credit, and he regularly interviews world class athletes whom have shown extraordinary resilience as the host of the Legendary Podcast. He is married to legal expert, consultant and author Gabrielle V. Taylor with whom he has two teenage daughters.
