VIEWPOINTS : PERFECTLY POISED FOR SPACE : California has the right stuff to assert its leadership in commercial missions.

Since the 20th anniversary of man’s first steps on the moon, there has been renewed attention on the United States’ role in space. President Bush has announced long-term U.S. goals in space, and the Voyager has been transmitting the final pictures from its 12-year trip through the solar system. While Bush hopes to reverse the stagnancy that has marked the past decade of U.S. space programs, California policy-makers would be wise to make moves of their own.

News that two California firms are selling ad space on a planned Soviet space shuttle highlights the potential for private space endeavors for the Golden State. A business enterprise that could reach $200 billion a year by the start of the next century may pass California by if policy-makers remain complacent. Regardless of initiatives from Washington, California can and should re-evaluate its support for an industry that employs as many Californians as our legendary motion picture industry and added at least $10 billion to the California economy last year.

At present, California’s space industry is a magnet for federal resources, high-tech employment, economic development and research funds. Last year, the federal government spent $25 billion on space; more than 40% went to California companies and universities.

Yet other states and nations are chipping away at California’s piece of the pie. For instance, Hawaii, Virginia and Florida are pursuing plans to develop commercial space launch opportunities, the most economically feasible avenue open to state space enthusiasts. The other ways into space--military and scientific--are too expensive for private or state funding.

These states and others are developing policies and programs for missions that California already has the resources to accomplish. Hawaii wants to become the chief launch site for Pacific Rim space activities. Virginia has announced plans to launch a commercial and scientific payload, ironically using Edwards Air Force Base as the launch site. Florida is actively developing its existing space infrastructure into a full-scale commercial space port.

These states, as well as Texas, plan to link their industrial, technological and educational resources to emerging space businesses. The estimated costs and expected benefits of the more ambitious proposals are substantial. For example, Florida’s lieutenant governor estimated that a space port, which would cost about $50 million to build, could inject $540 million into the state’s economy annually.

California has a head start on its domestic rivals, with the infrastructure and facilities in place to answer the nation’s call for expanding the commercial space applications industry. The critical public policy question that emerges is: What, if anything, should California policy-makers do to ensure that California maintains its leadership role in the space industry?

Before state space initiatives are addressed, however, one should comprehend what the commercial applications of space are and how California is uniquely qualified to fill the space commerce mission.

The most mature segment of the commercial space industry is communications satellites. California firms produce 75% of the U.S. output, which in turn represents 90% of the world’s satellite hardware. Communications satellites are solutions in search of problems to address. For example, they could be used for statewide communication in the event of a major earthquake or other catastrophic event. Another important application is remote sensing--looking at Earth from space--which is used in weather forecasting and could become particularly useful in analyzing environmental threats. The United States had a monopoly on remote sensing from 1960 to 1986, but since both current U.S. satellites are near retirement, the United States may experience several years with no remote sensing capability.

Whereas NASA’s missions grabbed headlines throughout the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, private firms have been making money from space since the 1950s. The principal obstacle then, as now, is access to space. Until recently, the federal government held the monopoly on space access through NASA launch facilities. The Challenger explosion, however, destroyed U.S. launch capabilities, allowing foreign competitors to lure American commercial payloads. The Soviet Union’s shuttle is just one sign of the eroding U.S. position. Last year, Europe’s Arianespace company secured 66% of the world’s commercial launch market.

To facilitate a California space policy to promote commercial applications, the state should first develop a clear vision of its role in space. Florida’s, for instance, is to become the world center for space commerce.

More concrete steps that can be taken include:

- Exploring the feasibility of developing a commercial launch facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the Pacific Basin.

- Establishing a Center for the Commercial Development of Space in California. (To date, none of the 16 centers nationwide is in California.)

- Enhancing the education system to prepare students for space-related education and employment.

- Increasing the state’s use of space products and services, such as leasing a satellite to law enforcement to track hazardous cargo.

- Establishing a cooperative to market California’s space assets to Pacific Basin nations.

- Taking an inventory of the space resources that already exist in California.

- Encouraging space-related tourism in California.

Last, but not least, California should consider launching its own satellite. Although there is neither the need nor the financing to support this option, one should remember the words of former IBM Chairman Thomas J. Watson, who proclaimed in 1943 that “I think there is a world market for about five computers.” The world changes fast, and such a satellite would symbolically demonstrate California’s world leadership in space, as well as provide practical applications for both government and private industry.

As California congratulates itself for the part it played in the U.S. moon walk and the Voyager exploration, and as it looks toward the future, the state need not turn to Washington for all of the cues. Many answers to successful, profitable space exploration are in California’s own back yard, waiting to be tapped and launched in the near future.