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.   This episode is part of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy's series on “Spa ..read more

 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 space agency members, what is on the docket for this year’s annual meeting? How do guidelines ..read more

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 BryceTech, and CSPS Senior Advisor about these questions and sets the stage for moving for ..read more

 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 Applications Laboratory. The Space Policy Show is produced by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center ..read more

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 Commander of U.S. Space Command, explore these questions and more.  The Space Policy Show is prod ..read more

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 part of a Center for Space Policy series on ISAM (in-space servici ..read more

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 Stover talks to Dr Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning for Secure World Foun ..read more

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 Technology Demonstrations for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. *COSMIC is the Consortium ..read more

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 Center for Space Policy series on ISAM (in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturin ..read more

CONFERS is an international consortium of industry and government stakeholders in the global satellite servicing sector aiming to set standards and best practices to grow the commercial space sector.  Think satellite maintenance, refueling and repair and how that could lead to life extension and less debris.  Think manufacturing and assembly in space, and infrastructure-as-a-service from low Earth orbit to cislunar to beyond – and how the future of a space ecosystem may develop.  In this episode we are on-location at the annual international CONFERS conference talking to members ..read more