Nuclear power and propulsion for space has a long history yet there continue to be hurdles from lack of mission to perceived safety concerns. That could be changing as humans stretch to travel further in space and live on celestial bodies like the Moon and Mars. Should NPP be government or commercial? Is the right pursuit for Deep Space nuclear electric or thermal propulsion? What would a “warp speed roadmap” look like? Learn more in this episode featuring Dr Brian Weeden from The Aerospace Corp...
Jul 02, 2025•36 min•Ep. 157
Rocket launches are exciting business, but there’s a LOT that goes on behind the scenes and before the rocket is rolled out to the pad. Learn more from this ‘How Stuff Works’ episode! From encapsulation to assembly and integration, launch processing typically takes two years, but the U.S. government is finding ways to meet the demand for increased cadence. For commercial launchers, government ranges provide infrastructure like roads and control centers, utilities like power and water, and shared...
Jun 11, 2025•51 min•Ep. 156
Open-source intelligence has historically been used to augment government intelligence about our adversaries. Government is relying more heavily on commercial data but how does that lend to resiliency, transparency, and deterrence? How should commercial data become more integrated and more trusted? What role does AI/ML have in the future of warfare? This episode features Colonel Lina Cashin (USAF, ret.) from The Aerospace Corporation speaking to USSF Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intellig...
Jun 04, 2025•43 min•Ep. 155
The participation of private industry in science and exploration missions that are sponsored by government has increased while still asking and answering some of humanity’s hardest questions – and lower costs, build domestic industry, prove technology, and maintain leadership. What could government do differently to continue fostering private space successes, including full commercialization? This episode highlights the 62nd annual Goddard Space Science Symposium , 19-21 March, 2025. Colleen Sto...
Apr 02, 2025•53 min•Ep. 154
How can we balance the growing number of satellites on orbit, and the services they provide, with the importance of astronomical science and protecting Dark and Quiet Skies? Reflected light and spectrum interference from satellites have become more problematic for astronomers and Star Gazers alike, but there are mitigation techniques being developed and tested to protect our Night Sky. Understanding the approaches to timely de-orbiting and space traffic awareness play into protecting astronomica...
Feb 26, 2025•46 min•Ep. 153
The World Economic Forum has set up the 1st Centre for Futures focused on space, and hosted by the Saudi Space Agency, to foster innovation and economic growth across the enterprise. Which areas does the global Centre see as most critical to space delivering its promising economic value? What is the role of policy and regulation on a global scale in the successful commercialization of space? How does the Centre fit into the 4th Industrial Revolution’s manifest? In today’s show, Dr Jamie Morin (C...
Jan 29, 2025•36 min•Ep. 152
In any future conflict, space will be involved – from jamming to cyber-attacks or worse. The orbital environment may not be able to withstand more debris from explosions or derelict objects orbiting uncontrolled. How can we engage remediation with new technologies, mitigation through better designs, and regulating with flexibility to ensure growth in a contested environment? In this episode, Aerospace’s Marlon Sorge (Executive Director, CORDS) and Gregory Henning (Lead, Space Object Risk Dept.) ...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 151
The promise of return from investments in low Earth orbit (LEO) and cislunar, including the lunar surface, is the reason humans continue scientific and exploratory endeavors in space. But what are those returns, and how could they benefit humanity and economic activity? The relationship between stakeholders can be viewed through the lens of cooperation, competition, and commercial. But what challenges are there from the perspective of U.S. leadership in technology, business, and governance? In t...
Jan 08, 2025•44 min•Ep. 150
Experts claim the space economy will grow by many millions of dollars in the next decade, but why are predictions so different, how do some double count, and what are the potential biases? If government is to protect its investments into commercial services and hardware, what are the questions around consolidation, export control, and rationality? In this episode, space economist Karen Jones and systems director Dr Brian Weeden from the Center for Space Policy & Strategy discuss their recent...
Dec 11, 2024•41 min•Ep. 149
Recent geopolitical and natural events have highlighted the interconnectedness of the US supply chain for technology sectors, including space. The increasing use of proliferated low Earth orbit (PLEO) satellites offers a unique lens through which to understand the changing needs of the space supply chain – needing more satellites, more often in a quickly evolving innovative and threatening environment. What should the US approach be to meet the demands of increased throughput dictated by smaller...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 148
A successful commercial space sector will depend on a modern regulatory environment that can “keep up” with innovative technology and geopolitical reality. The US space regulatory regime has evolved, but what’s been so hard about finding the right mix? When it comes to US leadership in commercial space, how can insight into the Great Power Competition be leveraged for national security? In this episode Dr. Brian Weeden , Systems Director at Center for Space Policy & Strategy and Geoff Reber,...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 147
Over the past four years the world has witnessed significant change – from covid to conflict. The next US administration will need to make some big muscle movements in order to be both responsive and proactive in the years ahead. Strategic foresight is one way to frame that out, and ask the right questions on where our attention needs to be. In this episode Kara Cunzeman, Systems Director for Strategic Foresight at The Aerospace Corporation, talks to Colleen Stover , CSPS, about this and more. A...
Nov 13, 2024•49 min•Ep. 146
Space as a domain crosses all geopolitical borders which is why solutions from space to Earth must be international and sustainable over the long-term. “Responsible Space” was the theme of this year’s International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Milan, Italy. The Space Policy Show’s Colleen Stover , Center for Space Policy & Strategy, went on-location to learn more. In this episode we discuss what space sustainability means from different perspectives, how experts are working to predic...
Oct 30, 2024•48 min•Ep. 145
The importance of space safety spans the lifetime of an entire effort – from design and launch to operations and demise. The International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) brings together experts from across the world to explore technical and governance solutions to better maintain and sustain space activities on Earth, in orbit, and beyond. In this episode Colleen Stover of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy goes on-location to the 13th annual IAASS conference “Buil...
Oct 23, 2024•41 min•Ep. 144
How does space sustainability drive research in policy and strategy from both sides of the Atlantic? What are the trades between the good space brings to all of humanity and how do we protect that for future generations? How will success be measured and what are the upcoming key decision points? On location at the 75th annual International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy this episode features Executive Director, Center for Space Policy & Strategy, Jamie Morin and Director, European Sp...
Oct 16, 2024•34 min•Ep. 143
The weaponization of space can be worrisome. What is a space weapon and how could the “security dilemma” lead to an arms race in space? For the space environment to be resilient it must be protected, what are the alternatives to weaponization? In this episode, Jennifer Cannon from Aerospace Corporation’s Government Relations, explores these questions with Dr Nola Haynes, expert in space security and international relations, and adjunct professor at Georgetown University. This episode is part of ...
Aug 14, 2024•37 min•Ep. 142
Japan is situated in the Asia Pacific Region (APAC), considered “a rough neighborhood” when it comes to national defense and security. Recent developments have meant Japan is moving from a strategic posture to a more operational one, and the partnerships with the U.S. and others in space will be key to regional and global security. To talk about this and more, Sam Wilson , Systems Director CSPS, talks to Director and Lead of Economic Security at Japan’s Institute of Geoeconomics, Dr Kazuto Suzuk...
Aug 07, 2024•48 min•Ep. 141
How can Australian space efforts integrate and compliment US efforts in both the defense and commercial sectors? What makes the geographic perspective from Australia unique when it comes to deterrence and China? What are some barriers to building a more robust Australian space sector? In this episode Dr Mick Gleason , Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, talks to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Director of Defence Strategy and National Security, Rebecca Shrimp...
Jul 24, 2024•41 min•Ep. 140
How can developments in rocket capabilities and in the way we launch reinforce resiliency and national security? For a future cislunar economy what will be the key drivers from a business standpoint? If we can maneuver space assets more responsively, how does that benefit deterrence and space sustainability? In this episode Aerospace’s Randy Kendall, Vice President of Launch, Missiles, and Mobility talks to Tory Bruno, President & CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA) about these questions and...
Jul 17, 2024•36 min•Ep. 139
As launches to space become more frequent and private spaceports are planned across the globe, how do launchers and regulators work to ensure both range safety and public safety? What are competing authorizing bodies in vastly different environments like US government-owned complexes versus Rocket Lab ’s private orbital launch range in Mahia New Zealand? Responsive launch is innovative but at what risk to safety? To answer these questions, Aerospace’s Colleen Stover talks to experts Robert Unver...
May 08, 2024•49 min•Ep. 138
The need for in-space rescue of astronauts and other space participants may not be far off. What do current space laws say, and not say, about space rescue? What are analogies in other domains? What technological challenges exist, and what could be done in the meantime? In this episode, Colleen Stover from The Center for Space Policy & Strategy chats with experts thinking about these questions – Dr Grant Cates from The Aerospace Corporation and Dr Jan Osburg from the RAND Corporation. Want t...
May 01, 2024•36 min•Ep. 137
Space debris is a growing problem, so what are space actors doing about it? Active Debris Removal is a technology currently being demonstrated and strengthened. The Zero Debris Charter from the European Space Agency is a voluntary, community-led initiative that aims to reduce the conditions that lead to more debris. In this episode, space debris expert and The Aerospace Corporation Technical Fellow Marlon Sorge discusses these efforts with Holger Krag, Head of the Office of Space Safety at ESA ....
Apr 24, 2024•38 min•Ep. 136
Safety and sustainability go hand in hand when it comes to protecting the orbital environment for continued use. The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) has been informing policymakers and regulators, and performing technical research in this area for the past three decades. In this episode Colleen Stover (Aerospace) talks to Andrew Ratcliffe , Chief Engineer of the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), about his role at home and as a delegate to the IADC. With 30 national spac...
Apr 03, 2024•34 min•Ep. 135
Space safety might start and finish with human safety, but how does safety run across the entire value chain – from launch to operations to reentry? How do norms of behavior, or technology advancements and economic prosperity play into maintaining the orbital environment? How is The Aerospace Corporation’s Space Safety Institute responding to these challenges? In this episode, Aerospace's Dr. Angie Bukley , Technical Fellow, explores these questions with Carissa Christensen, CEO and Founder of B...
Mar 27, 2024•32 min•Ep. 134
What’s the science behind how space weather affects our satellites and the services they provide? What design and operations options protect satellites and humans in space? Can we really predict space weather and the next “solar maximum”? To find answers to these questions and more, Aerospace's Colleen Stover chats with space weather experts Juha-Pekka Luntama, Head of ESA’s Space Weather Office (European Space Agency), and Dr. Paul O’Brien, Senior Scientist at Aerospace’s Space Science Applicat...
Mar 20, 2024•39 min•Ep. 133
What does the concept of dynamic space operations (DSO) mean and how might it impact the future of space operations and the way wars are fought? What are the mutual benefits of this type of sustained maneuver for other domains and for other sectors? What needs to be done to make DSO a reality technologically, politically, and operationally? In this episode, The Aerospace Corporation's Senior Vice President, Marty Whelan , and John Shaw , Lt. Gen., U.S. Space Force (retired), former Deputy Comman...
Jan 31, 2024•33 min•Ep. 132
Which commercial ISAM technologies offer military utility? How do these change the arena of contested space and deterrence? How will the future of Space Access, Mobility & Logistics (SAML) for national defense play into USSF’s competitive endurance framework? Learn more in this episode with Aerospace Corporation's Margaux Hoar as she talks to Colonel Elvert Gardner, USSF , Director of Strategy, Policy, & Plans at US Space Force Headquarters. Available by video or podcast. This episode is...
Dec 13, 2023•36 min•Ep. 131
According to the Outer Space Treaty, authorization or certification for launch is the responsibility of each launching nation, as well as continuing supervision in space. What are the competing national and international frameworks for this? How do standards and interoperability play into these policies specifically for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM)? What’s the significance of both cooperation and competition while enabling the private sector? In this show host Colleen S...
Nov 29, 2023•32 min•Ep. 130
US leadership off-world is not guaranteed. What strategies are being employed at the national level to support in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) industry and technology? How is civil space working with commercial and defense space sectors to develop – and test – technology? What are the commonalities between it all and how is risk managed? In this episode Greg Richardson from The Aerospace Corporation and Executive Director of COSMIC talks to Trudy Kortes, Director of Techno...
Nov 15, 2023•35 min•Ep. 129
In the world of ISAM (in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing) what should we use humans for and what should we use robotics for? What have we learned from decades of their partnership and what can we bring forward into the future? Do we always need humans-in-the-loop? In this episode experts Martha Hess and Jerry Miller from the Aerospace Corporation’s Human Exploration & Space Flight Division discuss these questions and more. Available by video or podcast. This episode is part of a...
Nov 08, 2023•33 min•Ep. 128
