What Space can do for WI 3

What Space can do for WI

(The “WI” in the title is a play on the word “we”. WI stands for West Indies, which is another name the collection Caribbean of islands with similar history/culture is called. The phrasing of the title also represents common Caribbean dialect so instead of saying “What space can do for us”, some Caribbean natives might say “What Space can do for we”).

The session on 29th May will focus on how space technology can play an integral role in the Caribbean achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth. No prior Space knowledge is required.

Recent advancements in technology have made small satellites like Cubesats and Nanosats easier to make and more cost effective. In addition, the development of reusable launch vehicles has driven down the cost of getting satellites into space.

These two factors make it a lot more feasible for the Caribbean to build and launch satellites that can be used for communications, earth observation or remote sensing. All of these applications can provide valuable information to help with climate change, coastal monitoring and agriculture, which have an economic impact.

In addition, NewSpace Startups and several Space Agencies have now provided Open Access to their Satellite Imagery and Astronomical data. In this breakout room, we’ll discuss how some of these new trends (CubeSats, Open Data, Astropreneurship, Astrotourism and more) can be used to create exciting job opportunities and drive sustainable economic growth and progress throughout the region.