Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs The Hon. Walter H. Roban, JP, MP, convened the second plenary meeting of the Bermuda Space and Satellite Policy Advisory Panel on Wednesday, December 12 in Washington, DC.
During the meeting, the Panel recommended strategies to attract space and satellite-related business to Bermuda while growing its domestic space and satellite capabilities. The group’s recommendations covered five areas: space insurance, international spectrum regulation, space sustainability, small satellites, and earth station regulations. Of note, the group discussed Bermuda’s ability to support space and satellite-related business through the development of light touch regulation, and it agreed to establish an Education Working Group to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education on the Island.
The Minister established the Space and Satellite Policy Advisory Panel in June 2018 to provide advice on the development of the space and satellite industries in Bermuda and to serve as a vehicle for guiding Bermuda’s advocacy efforts on behalf of the satellite industry in international policy matters. The current members of the group include Adam Sturmer, Senior Vice President at Marsh Space Projects; Andrew Vaucrosson, Chief Business Development Officer at Nova, Ltd.; Bruce Kraselsky, Managing Director at Space Partnership International; Chuck Schumann, Vice President and Founder at Pacific Dataport, Inc.; Danielle Wood, Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences and Director of Space Enabled at MIT Media Lab; George John, Lead Legal and Regulatory Counsel at Spire Global, Inc.; Jennifer Manner, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at EchoStar; Ray Duffy, Senior Vice President at Marsh Space Projects; Ryan Henry, Senior Manager at SES Satellites; and Scott Gibson, Vice President of Legal Services at SES Video.
The Ministry’s efforts to enhance Bermuda’s participation in the space and satellite industries is part of the Government’s overall strategy to diversify the economy and create more jobs for Bermudians.
Minister Roban said: “The boom in commercial space activity that we see today represents a tremendous economic opportunity for Bermuda. By bringing space and satellite companies to our shores and building up our domestic space-related capabilities, we can grow our domestic economy while giving Bermudians the knowledge and skills they need to be competitive in the global economy of the future.”
The Bermuda Space and Satellite Policy Advisory Panel is scheduled to hold its next meeting in the summer of 2019.