The death of George Floyd while in police custody in the City of Minneapolis in America triggered a physical and psychological uprising that found its way into the space & satellite industry, as it has others. In July, Space News Magazine assigned writers Caleb Henry and Debra Werner to report on how the space sector was responding to this incident, which had by then sparked massive protests, violence and racial tensions which hover over society still. Their reporting began by noting that in July 1969, civil rights protesters were marching outside the Kennedy Space Center 24 hours before Apollo 11 launched. They noted that 51 years later, the first flight of astronauts from U.S. soil in 9 years aboard a SpaceX Dragon occurred amidst the reaction to George Floyd. In a conversation with SSPI Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla, Caleb and Debra talk about their article as well as what has changed in the space & satellite industry since that time.
Caleb Henry is a journalist who served as an assistant editor at Access Intelligence and Via Satellite and moved to Space News in 2016, where he became a distinguished staff writer. At SpaceNews, he provided daily, in-depth coverage of the global satellite industry, including satellite operators and the businesses they relied on, including launch, spacecraft manufacturing and ground infrastructure. In October 2020, he left SpaceNews to become a senior analyst at Quilty Analytics in Washington, DC.
Debra Werner is a respected correspondent for the space and aerospace industries. She has been a stringer for Time Magazine and a reporter for Commercial Aviation News and Defense News where she was a recipient of the Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. She has been a correspondent for Space News Magazine for 12 years.
