We wrapped up this issue of Via Satellite in the days after Barack Obama became president-elect of the United States. Others can put the historic nature of Obama’s win into words much more eloquently than I, but I have been fielding questions about an Obama administration’s impact on the global space industry for several months.

A particular conversation that took place at IBC in September stands out, as the head of a European-based equipment manufacturer expressed concern that an Obama presidency would lead to a near-immediate reduction in U.S. defense spending and have an impact on much of the space industry and this executive’s attendance at SATELLITE 2009.

In the buildup to the election, I’ve read stories from multiple sources examining the issue in order to try and answer these questions as best I can. During the campaign, both candidates said they would try to cut spending without having a major impact on national security spending, and the point of campaigning is to avoid speaking in specifics, so it’s hard to get a read on what may happen with defense budgets until after the new administration and Congress are in place.

Most of the concerns that have been expressed by Pentagon officials and industry seem to focus on possible cuts to the development of expensive new systems. The U.S. Air Force’s multi-billion dollar Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) program is just one of those systems that will come more under the microscope. As we move further into an era of tighter government and military spending, the question ‘Is it worth it?’ will most likely result in the negative and exploring other alternatives could translate into more time and delays.

Some experts, however, believe that the aerospace and defense industry as a whole will continue to thrive. Many people we have spoken to in the past few months believe that the space industry is one that generally can survive an economic downturn. However, uncertainty over U.S. government spending in these areas may now cast a shadow over the cautious optimism in the space industry. Still, with a wave of optimism greeting Obama’s historic election win, this may not be the time to dwell on potential negatives.

An educated guess based on months of discussions leads me to believe that the satellite communications sector and other parts of the space industry may not see much change in U.S. government spending, but the more I read about the volatile nature of the world today, both politically and economically, the more I think my beliefs today could be shattered by the events of tomorrow. I wish I could make a more definitive statement about any of this, but we at Via Satellite are waiting just like everyone else to see what impact the Obama administration will have.

An area I know a little more about is Via Satellite’s association with Gerry Oberst, who writes our Global Regulations column. His December column is his 200th consecutive contribution to Via Satellite, making Gerry the model of "mission assurance" for us. I have learned much from talking to Gerry and reading his columns, and I hope he continues to provide his insights for another 200 issues.