Humans have been exploring space for more than 60 years. When the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), launched Sputnik on October 4, 1957, the era of space flight officially began. It was the first spacecraft propelled into orbit by humans. 

But long before then, humans have had great interest in exploring the world beyond us. In 1609, Greek philosopher Galileo was the first to point a telescope skyward. He was able to make out mountains and craters on the moon, as well as a ribbon of diffuse light arching across the sky — the Milky Way. He also discovered the rings of Saturn, sunspots and four of Jupiter’s moons. 

Fundamentally, human exploration is about human curiosity to understand our place in the universe. This developed into a quasi-military space race, and subsequently to deep scientific exploration, and more latterly, commercial exploration.

With commercial space flights now becoming a reality, we are arguably only at the start of what could be the golden age of space exploration. The next few years hold great promise and will be historic in space science, with privately-funded trips to the moon and NASA’s plan to ‘touch’ the Sun.

Space exploration is a forward-thinking enterprise that is based on creative exploration. It is, however, an industry that relies greatly on public opinion and, as a result, public relations.

How Space Exploration Impacts Life on Earth

Human activity in space has created societal benefits that have in many respects improved the quality of life on Earth for more than fifty years. The early satellites, which were designed to investigate the space environment and test initial capabilities in Earth orbit, provided crucial knowledge and capabilities for satellite telecommunications, global location, and weather forecasting.

There are numerous examples of societal benefits from new space knowledge and technology that filter back into the economy and improve our lives on Earth. Without space programs, we wouldn’t have GPS, accurate weather prediction, solar cells, or the ultraviolet filters in sunglasses and cameras. There’s also medical research happening in space right now that could cure diseases and prolong human lives, and these experiments can’t be done on Earth. Space exploration has the potential to save your life.

By encouraging other businesses to engage with the space industry on collaborative research and development, space exploration will continue to be a significant driver for advancing science and technology.

Issues of Space Exploration

Space exploration faces challenges on two major fronts –  Government issues and public concerns. 

For the government,  one of the biggest challenges of space exploration today is the cost. For instance,  NASA expects to spend approximately $2.7 billion on the Perseverance rover project. 

There’s also a lack of global coordination, agreement on space regulations, and competition among leading countries.

But a more serious problem faced by the space industry is the problem of public understanding and education on the need for space exploration.  Co-founder of Curzon PR, James Ollerenshaw – a marketing leader and strategist experienced in A.I., robotics, and space  comments:

“Amongst the public, I think there’s a lack of awareness and appreciation for what the space industry brings to life. We saw this in the largely negative reaction to the first commercial spaceflights. To many, this was just billionaires spending big on frivolities. The reality is that a commercial space industry is developing affordable access to orbit, enabling the development of space-based infrastructures that improve life down here on Earth. Space enterprises need to invest in education and communications to ensure public support for their endeavours.”

James argues that just like the early stages of the aviation industry was dominated by the extremely wealthy, he predicts the same is happening in the space industry. Air travel used to be reserved for the elites at the outset because of its costs, but as time went on and the public got to understand the benefits, adoption rose, investments climbed and prices dropped.  

It’s good to remember that most space companies are currently focused on sending satellites into orbit, and space tourism is only a small part of what happens in the industry. 

“While I believe we’re going to see space tourism become more prominent in the future, much more significant is the investment in launch systems designed for satellites,” says James.

PR to the Rescue

Public relations will help drive awareness of innovative schemes – public relations professionals of government-backed and private space companies are tasked with preparing for both the amazing successes and the potentially devastating failures that come with any pioneering venture. 

Space exploration is a risky industry that requires a lot of money and some pretty inventive problem-solving. Indeed, with social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, stories can be shared with millions of people all over the world in seconds, making crisis communications more vital than ever, particularly for organisations that rely heavily on public opinion.

“This is an industry that can really benefit from public relations because it’s benefits to society are not well understood. Better publicity will also help with investor relations, which is vital for the many space industry startups that are coming into the market,” says James. 

We’ve already accomplished a number of key milestones in space exploration. But this is only the start. Space tourism, for example, will soon be a reality if visionaries like Elon Musk have their way, and public relations will surely play a crucial role in disseminating such achievements to audiences all over the world.

Learn about Curzon PR’s expertise in the space PR industry and how we can help your firm achieve successful results.

Curzon PR is a London-based PR firm working with clients globally. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Development Team [email protected]