Evaluating Space as the Next Critical Infrastructure Sector
H1 . If space industry infrastructure is protected than significant value will be preserved to the general public safety , health and economic outcomes for U . S . citizens .
H2 . If space industry infrastructure is protected than significant value will be preserved to the national security outcomes for U . S . citizens .
H3 . If space industry infrastructure is currently protected by other DHS Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource than a unique designation is not required .
Each hypothesis was compared on a binary basis for the existing CI groups and for space . H1 examined the evidence supporting the U . S . population deriving economic and public health benefits from space sector . Economic benefit can be calculated through comparing to Gross Domestic Product numbers as reported by the U . S . Department of Commerce ’ s Bureau of Economic Analysis ( BEA ) ( Howells , Morgan , & Aversa , 2020 ). The BEA tracks 22 different sectors which overlap some , but not all , CI sectors . In this case , substantial positive revenues were used as evidence of economic benefit . Public health measurements are more difficult to measure and will be qualitatively assessed based on a binary summary of whether the various space sectors contribute to overall public well-being . The Center For Disease Control Foundation defines public health as , “ the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities ... achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles , researching disease and injury prevention , and detecting , preventing , and responding to infectious disease “ ( Foundation , 2020 ). Strictly based on the definition , space contributes little to public health but neither do many other CI sectors are likely similar .
The second hypothesis evaluated whether space increased positive national security outcomes . Again , a qualitative response was used to comparing the various sectors to space . The qualitative structure allowed determining whether space contributes to security relatively rather than defining an absolute value based on a measurable characteristic . The recently commissioned Space Force establishes national spacepower as , “ the totality of a nation ’ s ability to exploit the space domain in pursuit of prosperity and security ... comparatively assessed as the relative strength of a state ’ s ability to leverage the space domain ” ( U . S . Space Force , 2020 ). This definition does establish a way to examine space contributions to national security although terms like relative strength and leveraging would have to be more concisely defined . Publicly , many space contributions are likely overlooked on a daily basis including functions such as satellite television , positioning services , and even timing .
The final hypothesis explores the counter position , one where the argument becomes whether any existing CI sectors already provide sufficient protection for space infrastructure . The two aggregate sectors likely to have the most overlap are Digital Spaces and Manufacturing with the other three having significant less . Government and
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