“Throughout the country, the space race is spurring jobs, and it’s strengthening demand for skilled laborers, engineers and expert technologists. In my home state of Nevada, 10 different companies have buoyed NASA’s Artemis program, which supports 553 jobs. That’s impressive. And that’s why I remain committed to advocating for policies that support this kind of innovation, driving economic growth in Nevada and beyond.

“One of the new deployments that’s driving this growth is the low Earth orbit – or LEO as it’s called – satellite industry…The LEO satellite market is estimated to be a $33 billion opportunity, and that’s growing. These smaller, cheaper satellites are rapidly rolling out a new, reliable, high-speed broadband option that can reach even our most remote communities, like we have in Nevada. This is hugely important, and it’s a great addition to our toolbox to finally bridge the rural-urban connectivity divide.”

“Today’s space exploration is no longer the dream of the few. It has become a global movement powered by major corporations and small businesses, from precision manufacturing to software engineering to communications infrastructure. Every corner of our country can play a part in this bold new frontier…

“Breakthroughs [in space] could redefine our telecommunications networks, strengthen our economy and help close the digital divide. The network of tomorrow will no doubt be a hybrid system combining fiber, wireless, satellite uplinks and perhaps orbital data centers. In such a system, rural Missouri wouldn’t be a last-mile afterthought, but an active participant in a truly global network. Turning this vision into reality will require policymakers and industry leaders working hand in hand to discover what’s possible in this new space race.”