Col. M.V. “Coyote” Smith
Opportunities in Commercial Space
Col. M.V. “Coyote” Smith
Chief Future Scientist, U.S. Air Force
The Problem:
- USAF spends $16 billion per year employing 41,000 people to manage 54 satellites
- Intelsat has 1,100 employees and over 50 satellites
- Air Force personnel work at a particular job for two years before being reassigned
- Keep having to train new people
- Have to hire a lot of support people to support the Air Force personnel who keep rotating in and out of these jobs
- AF squadron model works for flight operations – certain number of support personnel, etc.
- Doesn’t work well for satellite operations
The Solution:
- Public-private partnerships to manage AF satellites
- Would save money over time for government
- Create more employment in the private sector
- International partnerships would become easier
- Space Guard model could be developed along the lines of the Coast Guard
The Path Forward:
- First public discussion of it – have discussed it with some fellow officers
- Wants pro-space groups to take up the cause
Loading ...