Space is No Longer a Gateway Science

For decades, the satellite industry has relied on astronauts as our primary recruitment tool. The logic was straightforward: inspire kids with images of humans floating in space and driving on the moon, and some percentage will pursue STEM careers that eventually lead them to our sector. It worked.

I get the appeal. The most awe-inspiring scene in my favorite movie, Race to Space, is Alan Shepard walking into an elementary school decked out in his spacesuit and seeing the wave of students stand to cheer. That moment captures everything powerful about space as a tool for inspiration — the wonder, the aspiration, the belief that seeing an astronaut can change a kid's life trajectory.

But that strategy is now dangerously outdated.

The fundamental problem is that space is no longer a gateway to broader science — it's infrastructure. Satellites aren't inspirational curiosities. They're how we navigate, communicate, monitor climate change, manage agriculture, and conduct global commerce. Yet we're still treating space science education as if its primary value is motivating students to become engineers someday.

This disconnect has real consequences for the satellite industry. We're entering an era where space literacy isn't aspirational — it's essential. Policymakers make decisions about spectrum allocation without understanding orbital mechanics. Business leaders invest in space companies without grasping the basics of satellite economics. Citizens vote without understanding the impact on space policy.

The astronaut-inspiration model made sense when space was exotic. But today's students live in a world where they use GPS to get to school, where satellite internet connects remote communities, and where Earth Observation (EO) data shapes everything from insurance premiums to supply chain logistics. They don't need astronauts to convince them space matters — they need education that helps them understand the space systems they already depend on and how they can use them in any job.

Here's what space literacy actually means for the satellite industry: understanding how constellations work, why orbits matter, what latency means for different applications, how satellite data gets processed and analyzed, and why space debris is a policy concern rather than a plot device. These aren't just topics to inspire future engineers. They're foundational knowledge for informed citizens, investors, policymakers, and business leaders.

The Via Satellite audience understands this better than most. You've watched the industry transform from a niche government capability to a commercial ecosystem worth hundreds of billions of dollars. You know that the limiting factor for growth isn't technology—it's the knowledge gap between what satellites can do and what people understand about them.

This requires a fundamental shift in how we approach space education. Instead of using space to get students interested in STEM, we need to focus on space literacy as a vital tool for participating in the modern world. That means teaching middle school students about satellite orbits the same way we teach them about the internet—not to inspire them to become satellite engineers, but because it's infrastructure they need to understand as informed citizens.

The satellite industry has a direct stake in this shift. Every uninformed policy debate about orbital slots, every business deal that fails because non-space executives don't understand the technology, every investment decision made without basic space literacy—these are problems we can solve through education. Not education designed to create the next generation of engineers, but education designed to create a space-literate society.

Some will argue that inspiration still matters, that we can't lose the wonder that draws people to space careers. They're right — but they're solving the wrong problem. The satellite industry doesn't need more people who dreamed of being astronauts as children. We need business leaders who understand our technology, policymakers who can make informed decisions about our regulations, and citizens who recognize satellites as essential infrastructure worth protecting and investing in.

The good news is that students are already interested. They're using space systems daily. They're concerned about climate change and know satellites monitor it. They understand that technology shapes their future. We don't need to inspire them with astronauts—we need to give them the tools to understand the systems that rely on space and that already shape their lives.

This isn't just about education reform. It's about industry sustainability. A space-literate public means better policy, smarter investment, and broader understanding of what the satellite industry contributes to society. It means fewer congressional hearings where basic concepts need explaining and more productive conversations about how to manage orbital resources.

The astronaut-as-gateway model served us well. It helped build the industry we have today. But what got us here won't get us where we need to go.

The satellite industry needs to lead the shift from space inspiration to space literacy — not because it's better for recruiting engineers, but because it's essential for operating in a world where satellites are infrastructure, not inspiration.

It's time to stop treating space education as a gateway to STEM and start treating space literacy as a vital tool for navigating the twenty-first century. VS

Dr. Emma Cain Louden is an astrophysicist, strategist, and President of Slooh. She was named one of the 2025 Via Satellite Rising Stars.