According to one recent study, the 10 warmest years in the historical record have all occurred since 2010. If you needed a single statistic to help underline what an omnipresent challenge climate change represents to all of us, let it be that one.
But when a problem this severe threatens all of us, it can sometimes be difficult to understand why people would focus on anything else. You hear many people wonder about the validity of space technology, for example, offering some variation of the question "why should we worry about what is going on in space when he have problems here on Earth?"
In reality, these two ideas aren't just related, they're connected in a number of important ways. Space and climate technologies, along with the spirit of entrepreneurship in general, are hugely important and should absolutely be explored further.
Space Technology and Climate Change: A Symbiotic Relationship
To get a better idea of how all these ideas gel together, consider the fact that space technology is about more than just sending men and women to the moon (and beyond). Thanks to the work that NASA has done over the years, it is now possible to live in a world where satellites circle the planet at all times and gather accurate, actionable, real-time information about weather. They help provide advance warnings on potentially devastating storms, they help collect insight about the climate, and more.
They also help to raise our understanding of not just the short-term impact of climate change, but also the long-term effects of things like moisture levels, the increased rate of wildfires, and even changes to our atmosphere.
As we face the challenges of a changing climate, it's important to recognize the technologies that support us in creating a sustainable future. There are passionate people right now working on new renewable energy solutions like wind and solar. They're developing drought-resistant crops and are helping to shepherd in a new era of early warning systems to help prevent catastrophe from some of those aforementioned devastating storms.
All of this requires a combination of efforts - not just from agencies like NASA, but also entrepreneurs and technology professionals who can come together to help focus on these and other missions.
One example of this idea in action takes the form of the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge. It was designed to both recognize and support entrepreneurs and visionaries of all types who are actively working on technology that helps to advance the agency's goals when it comes to both lunar explanation and climate science. Finalists of the challenge will not only get to attend a live pitch event at the Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit and Expo in Washington, D.C., but they will also get to network with some of the best and brightest minds at NASA, in the military, and with other industry leaders.
In past years, the challenge has helped entrepreneurs raise essential venture capital funding. It has also assisted in winners obtaining Small Business Innovation Research grants, has helpedthem participate in accelerator programs, and has even assisted with the formation of partnerships with both academia and industry alike. Past winners were selected from focus areas that included quantum sensors, mass spectrometry technology, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and more.
The Benefits of Entrepreneurship and the Impact on Driving Innovation
The biggest benefit that the intersection between entrepreneurship and space technologies involves the unparalleled level of innovation it brings with it.
Take the Paris Agreement, for example. It was then that more than 60 countries dedicated themselves to the idea of net-zero emissions by the middle of the century. But what a lot of people don't realize is that a lot of non-state actors did the same. Over 4,500 companies, city governments, and other institutions all committed to that same net-zero goal. A lot of the technology that is now being used to help achieve that goal was developed in part by the innovative entrepreneurs and organizations that are participating.
The same is true of concepts like privatized spaceflight. There are multiple companies that are developing (and paying for) technology independent of any government agency to launch the types of rockets that will carry astronauts into space, that will help build space stations, launch satellites, etc.
That innovation will not exist in a vacuum. Once it is developed, it can then be used by agencies like NASA to further their own mission in these areas, thus benefiting all of us even though the core technologies may have originated in part or in whole in the private sector.
The Challenges of Entrepreneurship in This Field
One of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face when developing technologies for both lunar exploration and climate sciencehas to do with skepticism from those around them. Just as there are those who doubt the validity of claims regarding climate change (or who think it is already "too late" to make any big difference), there are those that inherently question why we should bother with space travel and further exploration.
Overcoming this challenge will require not only sufficient encouragement to help inspire people to action, but also an ongoing education about why these issues are so urgent to begin with. They play a direct role on all of our lives whether we realize it or not. This is true not 50 years from now, not five years from now, but today.
In the end, accomplishing goals related to space exploration and tackling issues pertaining to climate change will require people with more than just a can-do attitude. Success in these areas will depend on people who are unwilling to give up, regardless of how difficult the circumstances get. Those individuals need to be able to leverage groundbreaking technologies and collaborate with a diverse community of others who are all focused on the same mission.
Those ideas describe not only entrepreneurs, but also those in the space and climate IT fields, which is why they are and will always be intrinsically linked.
To find out more information about the crucial intersection between entrepreneurship and the technologies needed for lunar science and climate science, visit the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge today!
