Column: Maurice Foley On Space, Future & More

April 6, 2026 | 0 Comments

[Opinion column written by Maurice Foley]

Recently, I stood at the NASA tracking facility on Cooper’s Island, in St. David’s, and watched history unfold, and I have to say, it leaves you thinking a little differently about Bermuda.

As the Artemis mission lifted off, marking humanity’s return to the Moon, you could feel the magnitude of the moment, not just in the roar of the rocket, but in what it represents, ambition, innovation, and a commitment to shaping the future. But what struck me most was not just what was happening thousands of miles away in the sky, it was what was happening right here in Bermuda.

For decades, Bermuda has quietly played a role in global space missions, and yet we rarely talk about it. From the earliest days of space exploration to modern launches, our geographic position has made us a critical point in tracking and communications, meaning that while the world looks up at the stars, Bermuda has been part of the infrastructure that helps make those journeys possible.

And standing there, as a Bermudian, I felt proud, genuinely proud, because this is a reminder that our island, so often described as small, has consistently contributed to some of the most significant achievements in human history. But at the same time, as someone in public service, I left with a different feeling, concern, because the real question is not whether Bermuda has a role in these global industries, the question is whether Bermudians are benefiting from it.

Are we positioning our young people to enter fields like aerospace, engineering, data science, and advanced communications? Are we building partnerships that turn proximity into participation? Are we thinking strategically about Bermuda’s place in an increasingly technology-driven global economy, or are we simply allowing these opportunities to exist around us, without ever fully connecting our people to them?

This is where leadership matters, and from my perspective, this is not just about inspiration, it is about execution. We have to move beyond acknowledging Bermuda’s geographic advantage and start building a national strategy around it, aligning education with future industries, investing in STEM pathways, and creating structured partnerships with global institutions that are already operating within our reach, while ensuring that Bermudians are not on the outside looking in when these opportunities arise.

Too often, we speak about diversification, but we fail to connect it to real, tangible sectors where Bermuda already has a foothold. Aerospace, satellite communications, and digital infrastructure are not abstract concepts, they are present, active, and evolving industries that intersect with Bermuda today, and the policy conversation must now catch up with that reality.

So, what does that actually look like? What would it look like to create a pipeline from our schools into aerospace and technology careers? What incentives can we introduce to attract and anchor more of these partnerships in Bermuda? And how do we ensure that any expansion in these sectors includes clear pathways for Bermudians to participate and lead? These are not long-term questions, they are immediate ones, because being in the right place geographically is no longer enough.

We have to be intentional. We have to be strategic, and we have to be prepared.

Standing on Cooper’s Island, watching that rocket rise into the night sky, one thought stayed with me, if Bermuda can play a role in reaching the Moon, surely we can do more to reach our own potential here at home.

The opportunity is there, now the responsibility is ours to act.

Bermuda’s role in the future is not a question of geography; it is a question of whether we choose to act.

I also extend my thanks to the US Consul General Antoinette Hurtado, along with NASA, for the opportunity to witness this moment, and for their continued engagement with Bermuda; partnerships that highlight what is possible when we connect locally to global opportunity.

- Maurice Foley is a former OBA Senator who ran in the 2025 General Election in Constituency 3, St. David’s.