Is Space the Next Frontier for Innovation in Gov Tech?

Space launches have gotten a lot cheaper and satellites have gotten a lot smaller. These two things combined mean we’re entering an age where space can factor in to service delivery for government.

“We’re launching our own damn satellite,” said former California Gov. Jerry Brown, in September 2018, expressing frustration with what he felt was slow work on climate change research. Brown saw value in space for state government early in his political career, even earning himself the nickname ‘Gov. Moonbeam’ in 1976 from a Chicago Tribune columnist. Brown’s views on space may have seemed far-fetched 40 years ago, but a host of new technologies and companies are opening up possibilities and introducing use cases that may make space the next tech frontier for state and local agencies.