Chirag Parikh: U.S. National Space Council sets sights on international collaboration

International collaboration will be key for humankind’s efforts in space, Chirag Parikh, executive secretary of the U.S. National Space Council, told an audience at the 39th Space Symposium.

Parikh noted that services from space are exposing a rapidly growing portion of the Earth’s population. He said space is now on the agenda for every meeting between the Biden administration and world leaders, building partnerships and developing norms for the peaceful exploration and use of the cosmos.

“The global consciousness of space continues to rise,” Parikh said.

The National Space Council in 2023 held a meeting solely dedicated to growing international partnerships, especially in the civil space sector where the United States continues to push NASA’s Moon to Mars program.

Parikh said the global effort is also developing a strategy on international capacity building using space. He said the administration is also working to develop military-to-military partnerships to grow deterrence against attacks in orbit and develop interoperability in space.

Allowing U.S. firms more freedom to export satellite products and services is key to global cooperation in space, Parikh said. He said the administration is kicking off a review of export controls for the space industry, which were last revised in the Obama years.

“It’s been over a decade; I think technology has evolved,” Parikh said.