Anthony Matthews

<Align=left>I'm a veteran space guy. I spent many years in the US Space Program and now I'm back in the UK consulting and writing.

There are thousands of people around the world who are interested and enthusiastic about what's going on in space, and they are not all from STEM backgrounds. These people congregate on the Internet in fascinating groups, such as the AstroAgency SpaceBar, and on Clubhouse. They participate with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). They are all over social media. Space startups abound, with exciting and sometimes overlapping goals. Venture capital firms previously centered around Silicon Valley are now turning their attention to these space enterprises. There is a whole new space culture growing outside of the traditional large companies. The new "behemoths" (SpaceX, Blue Origin) who have grown up with the culture, will dominate the space environment going forward.

There are many social and political issues to be dealt with. The increasing number of satellites, both commercial and government, creates concerns about physical and electronic interference. The huge amount of space debris is a large problem. Many countries are planning space activities independent of each other. The arguments for and against using space for military purposes are contentious. Many issues remain to be resolved.

Some of you will know that I am also a highly trained mediator. I still work in my spare time on Divorce and Small Business cases, and I am very interested in the future in helping to bring dispute resolution methods to space-related disputes.