The Camden Conference, in partnership with the Camden Public Library, continues the Community Events Series in October with a presentation by John Doughty on Tuesday, October 18 at 6:30pm.

This program will be presented LIVE to a limited in-person audience. RSVP is required to jpierce@librarycamden.org if you wish to attend in-person in the library’s Picker Room. 

The launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957 marked the beginning of the space era and of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Today, a new arms race is brewing in orbit. Access to space has become much more affordable as launch and equipment costs have declined sharply. These factors are fueling a thriving space industry as dozens of countries and companies are exploring ways to utilize space. Meanwhile, China is a pacing challenge to U.S. primacy in space. Increasingly, space is becoming more militarized as several nations have developed, tested, and deployed various counterspace systems. Given the importance of space to the U.S. economy and national security, the Pentagon has bolstered spending directed toward space-based systems. Indeed, space is becoming more congested, competitive, and contested. We will discuss the commercial and security aspects of the new space race as well as some of the major space exploration programs.