Following the emergence of the space race in the 1960s, wealthy countries worldwide have engaged in constant competition to push the boundaries further on space travel and planetary exploration.

This trajectory has spanned accomplishments like satellite technology, moon landings and Mars landings. Now, Amazon Web Services Inc. is making public its plans to further expand the horizons in space.

“What we’re seeing today is that growth is really taking place, whether it’s in the number of satellites that are being launched around the globe every year … also in the number of new companies or the number of global spending,” said Clint Crosier (pictured), director of aerospace and satellite solutions at Amazon Web Services Inc. and retired Maj. Gen. of the Space Force and Air Force. “It is just happening right now, and it’s really exciting.”

Crosier spoke with  John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the AWS Summit Washington, DC event. They discussed the current state of the space exploration sector and AWS’ plans there. (* Disclosure below.)

Assessing the costs and benefits

While space travel has fascinated us for millennia, the thrill of realizing that dream has only existed for about 60 years. Today, however, many industry experts think there are several considerations, such as congestion, and threat areas to be assessed. These considerations, according to Crosier, pale in comparison to the sheer breadth of opportunities to be had through astronomic innovation.

“Today, you’re seeing commercial contracts going out from the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA, from the Air Force, from the Space Force,” Crosier said. “So there are lots of opportunities for commercial companies.”

Priority No. 1 should be security, Crosier explained, which is baked into everything AWS does. “And our customers, our government classified customers, tell us the reason they came to AWS is our security is top-notch and certified for all their workloads,” he said.

AWS is a cloud services company first. It is, however, exploring new ways to commercialize space travel and tie that in with its robust cloud, hybrid cloud and edge product portfolio, Crosier said.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the AWS Summit Washington, DC event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for AWS Summit Washington, DC. Neither AWS, the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE