In this episode Peter Garretson has a discussion with former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. They delve into the strategic importance of space to our economy and security and counter-space threats. They review how Bridenstine got into space via the Rocket Racing League, how his interests in promoting commercial space resulted in his introducing the Space Renaissance Act while in Congress. The two discuss the big ideas for Cislunar contained in his 2016 policy speech, This is Our Sputnik Moment. They cover how he moved ideas from the Google Lunar XPrize to  ..read more

In this episode Peter Garretson speaks with Simon “Pete” Worden (Brig Gen, USAF, Ret, PhD), Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. They discuss the purpose of spacefaring, the importance of Cislunar, the Moon, Clementine, the Near-Earth and Main-Belt Asteroids, NASA's Artemis mission, Moon-to-Mars Objectives and Artemis Accords, DARPA (and it's NOM4D, DRACO, B-SURE and LunA-10 effort), "Bluewater Spacepower," movement & maneuver in deep space, the need to protect commerce, and the U.S. Space F ..read more

In this episode, Peter Garretson meets with General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations (CSO) for the United States Space Force. They discuss the role of CSO within the broader space ecosystem, and the opportunities and threats that occupy his thoughts. They examine the changes in the space domain, and how to respond to a contested domain. They touch on 'theories of success' and 'theories of victory.' Gen Saltzman discusses "Competitive Endurance" and its tenets of: 1) avoiding operational surprise; 2) denying first-mover advantage; and 3) responsible count ..read more

In this episode Peter Garretson meets with Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). They discuss the White House space policies in the context of the Administration Priorities, including climate, economy and jobs, restoring US global leadership, COVID and infrastructure, and the intention to lead by example. They delve into the broad context of the White House Space Priorities Framework and its emphasis on sustainability, norms and behaviors, earth observation for climate change. They examine the plethora of policy documents ..read more

In this episode Peter Garretson talks with science fiction author Daniel Suarez about his latest novel Critical Mass, which depicts humanity’s transition from a climate-imperiled, Earthbound civilization to one that utilizes the resources and energy from deep space to secure a promising, sustainable future. They discuss what it means to be a spacefaring civilization, what is the value proposition for developing Cislunar, the new Space Race, what will be the determinants of spacepower both soft & hard, and what ought to be our national priorities. Daniel is clear th ..read more

In this episode Peter Garretson talks with Dr. Kurt "Spuds" Vogel, NASA Director of Space Architectures, about NASA's Moon to Mars Objectives and NASA's just-released Blueprint for Sustained Human Presence and exploration throughout the Solar System. They discuss the NASA organization, the difference between an objective vs capabilities based approach, what it means to 'architect from the right and execute from the left, the significance of the objectives, and the collaborative process to get there. They outline how the plan seeks to be robust across administrations and alternate budget future ..read more

In this episode, Peter Garretson hosts Dr. Avi Loeb, Director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Institute for Theory and Computation, head of the Galileo Project, and Chair of the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative Advisory Committee. They discuss recent discoveries of extraterrestrial objects (Oumuamua, Comet Borisov, and 2 meteors). Avi provides insights into the big ideas in his book Extraterrestrial, including the hypothesis that Oumuamua might be a lightsail from an alien civilization. Interestingly, Avi’s team is trying to create one via the  ..read more

In this episode, Senior Fellow Peter Garretson interviews Lieutenant General John E. Shaw, Deputy Commander of United States Space Command (USSPACECOM). They begin by explaining the role and responsibilities of USSPACECOM. They examine Gen. Shaw's new article, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Space as a Military Area of Responsibilities (AOR), including its key propositions: the importance of Earth; the insufficiency of the term "global"; the need to re-imagine strategic terrain (upwell, downwell, cislunar); and the importance of the AOR to everyone. They ..read more

In this episode, Senior Fellow Peter Garretson interviews best-selling author Howard Bloom and founder of the Space Development Steering Committee. They discuss fundamental motivations for developing and settling space—humanity's destiny—and the roles that NASA and the Space Force are called to play to support that purpose. They focus on how to balance near-term threats and priorities vs. the power of Cislunar to determine the future. Howard discusses the opportunity cost of the current expandable architecture, and the possibilities suggested by reusable systems like a SpaceX’s Starship ..read more

In this episode, Senior Fellow in Defense Studies Peter Garretson interviews Henry Sokolski, Executive Director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, about their recent China-U.S. wargame. They discuss the impetus for the game, who was involved, the force structure, how the game unfolded, the surprises, and the key takeaways. Key takeaways included the need for bodyguard satellites, 'self-executing' norms that allow self-defense, the emerging importance of orbits above GEO and in Cislunar, the space domain awareness required to keep track of dual-use servicing assets ..read more