Jordan Soto, executive producer, Hart Energy: I'm Jordan Soto here at OTC with a Hart Energy Live exclusive with Tyson Breedlove of ABS.

What is ABS' connection to the space industry and where do you see it going in the future?

Tyson Breedlove, account manager, America Bureau of Shipping (ABS): Space is the next frontier to the offshore industry. And because the space launch industry is growing so rapidly, costs are going down, which means more and more companies want to put payloads into space. And the key to this is full and rapid reusability of space vehicles such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9. And you have to go offshore to recover these vehicles because even if they're launched from shore, their trajectory covers the offshore space. And our earth is 70% covered with water. And so ABS' role there in the offshore space is to promote safety. And today we've published the industry's first requirements for offshore space ports. Previously, there were no requirements that address this very unique concept of operations. And the industry needs clear and predictable rules and sets of requirements in order for them to scale and also for them to innovate without compromising on safety. Launch vehicles offshore is becoming much more attractive than onshore because of regulatory constraints. Our role there is basically to promote safety on the offshore space port, and make sure that key stakeholders can have confidence on the ongoing safety of this operation.

JS: Tune in to more Hart Energy Live exclusives at hartenergy.com.

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