What needs to happen to improve government acquisition processes so we can go faster to defend and protect our nation and our allies? There are “pockets of innovation” that could be scaled, but how is that balanced with risk? Join CSPS senior policy analyst Andrew Berglund as he talks to former Assistant Secretary of Defense and former staffer on the House Armed Services Committee, Stephen Kitay, now Senior Vice President for Space Defense at True Anomaly.

This episode is part of the Going Faster Series that discusses various facets of speed, agility, innovation, and rapid deployment in national security, civil, and commercial space.

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
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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 Corporation talking to Dr Bhavya Lal, former NASA Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy and current professor at RAND School of Public Policy.

This episode is part of the Going Faster Series that discusses various facets of speed, agility, innovation, and rapid deployment in national security, civil, and commercial space.

Available by video or podcast.

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch all episodes!

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 commodities like security and weather data – all working toward public and environmental safety. Talking to host Colleen Stover from Aerospace’s Center for Space Policy & Strategy, are two experts from The Aerospace Corporation, Kim Goodwater, Systems Engineering and Integration, and Johanna Malaer, Launch Test Range Operations – located at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

This episode is part of the Going Faster Series that discusses various facets of speed, agility, innovation, and rapid deployment in national security, civil, and commercial space.

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch all episodes!

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 Intelligence Chief Master Sergeant Ronald Lerch and Clinton Clark, Vice President at data supplier ExoAnalytic Solutions.

This episode is part of the Going Faster Series that discusses various facets of speed, agility, innovation, and rapid deployment in national security, civil, and commercial space.

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch all episodes!

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 Stover, Center for Space Policy & Strategy, talks to key commercial players about their recent lunar landings, and guests from Planetary Society and the American Astronautical Association about the right policies, messaging, and questions needed to maintain US leadership in space exploration.

Featured guests:

• Jordi Paredes Garcia, Corporate Chief Engineer, Firefly Aerospace
• Trent Martin, Senior VP of Space Systems, Intuitive Machines
• Casey Dreier, Chief Space Policy, The Planetary Society
• Jim Way, Executive Director, and Ron Birk, President, representing the American Astronautical Association

Available by video or podcast.

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch all episodes!

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 astronomical instruments and data, and maintaining the beauty of the Night Sky. Join The Aerospace Corporation’s Colleen Stover and experts Dr. Lindsay DeMarchi, a “stellar mortician”, and Dr. Samuel Factor, Division of Signal & Image Processing, to discuss the issues and potential solutions around the resilience of our skies.

Read more at the American Astronomical Society.

This episode is part of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy's series on Resiliency. The series explores various perspectives of what resiliency means from across the space community.

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch all episodes!

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 (Center for Space Policy & Strategy, Executive Director) talks to Mishaal Ashemimry, Center for Space Futures Managing Director, and aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, and commercial pilot.

Available by video or podcast.

This episode is part of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy's series on Resiliency. The 6-part series explores aspects of the intersection between resilience space and the security of our future. Episodes include:

• The importance of Pacific Region alliances and integration for building deterrence and global security with Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Rebecca Shrimpton and Japan’s Institute of Geoeconomics, Dr Kazuto Suzuki
• The future of adaptive launch to meet our most pressing needs with CEO, United Launch Alliance (ULA) Tory Bruno
• The dilemma presented by the weaponization of space and space security with Georgetown University’s Dr Nola Haynes

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch all episodes!

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.) discuss their research into considerations and solutions for sustaining the function of space during conflict.

Read the paper: “Space Sustainability in the Context of Contested Space”

Available by video or podcast.

This episode is part of the Deep Dive Series hosting our policy experts to discuss content and recommendations in the Space Agenda 2025, a compendium of chapters exploring the most pressing issues in space policy today and over the next several years, published by the Center for Space Policy & Strategy. Read more about Space Agenda 2025….

The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. It is a virtual series covering a broad set of topics that span across the space enterprise. CSPS brings together experts from within Aerospace, the government, academia, business, nonprofits, and the national labs. The show and their podcasts are an opportunity to learn about and to stay engaged with the larger space policy community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch all episodes!