View Featured From Earth to Uchū: The Evolution of Japan’s Space Security Policy and a Blueprint for Strengthening the U.S.-Japan Space Security Partnership By Kari A. Bingen, Makena Young PublishedAugust 23, 2024 As Japan reckons with an increasingly tense security dynamic driven by growing Chinese and North Korean military activity and defense budgets, space capabilities are becoming integral to Japan’s national security. The U.S.-Japan security alliance continues to be at the core of both countries’ approaches to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific, with both seeking to…
View Why Hasn’t Starliner Returned? By Clayton Swope PublishedAugust 19, 2024 On June 5, 2024, an Atlas V rocket launched Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Though it successfully docked with the station, Starliner exhibited anomalies related to its propulsion systems, raising concerns about whether the spacecraft could safely return astronauts to Earth. At the time of writing, NASA…
View U.S. Civil Space Primer By Madeleine Chang PublishedMay 6, 2024 The civil space ecosystem refers to departments, agencies, and organizations of the federal government that have operational, regulatory, policy, or other responsibilities over the space activities of the United States, including private sector space activities, which are non-military in nature. Civil space has its roots in the National Aeronautics and Space Act of…
View Mission Authorization: Decoding the Space Policy Dilemma By Clayton Swope PublishedJanuary 11, 2024 On November 15, 2023, the White House’s National Space Council released a legislative proposal that would create a licensing process for private sector novel space activities, called mission authorization, consistent with U.S. obligations under the Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967. Meanwhile, Congress and a government-chartered space advisory group have offered their own proposals. While all parties acknowledge…
View The Private Sector’s Assessment of U.S. Space Policy and Law By Alyssa Goessler PublishedJuly 25, 2022 U.S. commercial space regulation is quickly becoming outdated and stress on the government system and on U.S. companies is rising. This paper provides insight from representatives of U.S. space companies on the U.S. policy and regulatory system.
View Save the Last Dance for the International Space Station By Zhanna Malekos Smith PublishedJune 2, 2022 Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, space ties between Russia and the United States have shown signs of unraveling.
View Fly Me to the Moon: Worldwide Cislunar and Lunar Missions By Kaitlyn Johnson PublishedFebruary 15, 2022 Fly Me to the Moon examines planned cislunar and lunar missions over the next decade from countries around the world. This compilation showcases the growth of satellites, rovers, and experiments intended to extend humanity’s reach more firmly into cislunar space and on the Moon.
Jan26 Dancing Lights in Space: How to Manage The Risks of Satellite Close Approaches in Geostationary Orbit Both commercial satellite operators and governments are increasingly concerned about uncoordinated close approaches of their satellites by others in space, particularly in the geostationary belt where many valuable commercial and national security satellites reside. The Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Secure World Foundation (SWF) are […]
Congressional Testimony: NASA’s Future in Low Earth Orbit By Todd Harrison PublishedSeptember 21, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlUNxnEpdfA The following testimony was presented to the House Science, Space, & Technology Committee during its “NASA’s Future in Low Earth Orbit: Considerations for ISS Extension and Transition” hearing on September 21, 2021. Download Testimony Chairman Beyer, Ranking Member Babin, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify…
View To Infinity and Beyond: Civil and Commercial Space Policy in the Biden Administration By Kaitlyn Johnson PublishedFebruary 10, 2021 This is a pivotal time for civil and commercial space policy. The Biden administration should build from the successful policies of the Trump administration and look for new ways to engage new partnerships both domestically and internationally.
