July 16, 2019.
This week, NASA and the nation are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, when human beings set foot on another world for the first time. From Aviation Week to USA Today, I’ve been seeing a lot of articles and discussion about the impact and legacy of space exploration–in terms of celebrating the past and policy for the future.
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – President John F. Kennedy
The pivotal moment of the space race in the 1960s showed all of humanity that anything is possible with ingenuity, dedication and courage. The view of Earth from the Moon gave us a new perspective on our place in the universe. And this single event in July 1969 changed everything about the way we live, paving the way for many of the innovations upon which we depend and spawning countless supporting technologies and industries.
An entire generation of scientists and engineers were inspired by what they saw the day Apollo 11 touched down, forming today’s robust technological workforce that has supported over 200 successful crewed NASA spaceflights, enabled 18 continuous years of humans orbiting Earth in peaceful cooperation, and ushered in a new wave of breakthroughs through the commercial spaceflight industry.
At Stellar, we have a particular appreciation for this tremendous potential because space is in our DNA – from the groundwork laid by our founder (and aerospace engineer) Celeste Ford to each of our thriving business sectors that uniquely leverage, enable or advance space technology. The aerospace industry serves as a boundless reservoir of prospective dream jobs, giving us ample opportunity to provide stellar solutions that meet the critical needs of vital customers. It is extraordinary to reflect now both on what we have achieved thus far in this arena, and the possibilities for the future.
We continue to play a key part in elevating the operations of our intelligence and defense partners as well as peaceful space-based activities that improve life on Earth and commercial efforts to enable connectivity and communication. We are crossing boundaries among sectors to provide the best solutions and expand our client base.
The powerful real-life example of regular people engineering the future profoundly changed the academic, government, and business landscapes by encouraging students and entrepreneurs (i.e. Intel, Amazon) to pursue their dreams. Space exploration, along with any type of major technological innovation, comes with significant risks and challenges – but the rewards and impact can be immense as we have seen from the 60s through today. It’s an exciting time to celebrate how far we have come both as a global society and as a company.
Michael S. Lencioni, CEO