View If Russia is Selling, the Pentagon Should Keep Buying — Rocket Engines, That Is By Todd Harrison PublishedMay 18, 2016 What’s the rush? Before hastily cutting off the engines we need, Congress should set the conditions for a better American space launch market.
View Beyond the RD-180 By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts, Evan Linck PublishedMarch 21, 2017 This report explores how the United States came to depend on the Russian RD-180 rocket engine as part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, realistic options for the engine’s replacement in the coming decade, and potential space launch acquisition strategies for the future.
View Implications of Ultra-Low-Cost Access to Space By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts PublishedMarch 21, 2017 To understand a future where the cost of access to space is only a fraction of what it is today, CSIS turned to a curated group of space experts, including launch providers, satellite manufacturers, government analysts, space law practitioners, and military strategists. This report details trends in low-cost access to space, identifies key opportunities for further cost reductions and policies needed to spur innovation, and explores new military missions that would be enabled if these trends lead to significant reductions in the cost of access to space.
View Ultra-Low-Cost Access to Space: What it Means and When it’s Coming By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter PublishedMarch 22, 2017 In this video, CSIS experts Todd Harrison and Andrew Hunter explore the unique trends in low-cost access to space, identify key opportunities for further cost reductions and policies needed to spur innovation, and explore new military missions that would be enabled if these trends lead to significant reductions in the cost of access to space.
View Space Is Booming, America’s Next Heavy-Lift Rocket Should Reflect That By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts, Evan Linck PublishedMarch 22, 2017 As the U.S. government leaves the RD-180 rocket engine behind, it should position itself to support and reap the benefits of the growth in orbital markets.
View More than just fixing the rules: regulating for innovation By Kaitlyn Johnson PublishedApril 27, 2017 A variety of new space technologies are emerging in the U.S. space industry, and policymakers should look for ways to facilitate this innovation and make these technologies more accessible to civil, commercial, and military space customers.
Jun21 Small Satellites, Big Missions A two-session event that highlighted and amplified awareness of the implications of emerging space technologies, particularly those provided by smaller space systems. The panel presentations examined implications from the perspective of both changes in the way space missions are executed and in the way that transportation to space is provided.
Dec01 West Coast Aerospace Forum: Air and Space Power in a Multi-Domain World Hosted ByThe RAND Corporation Successful military operations in the modern age rely on the ability to effectively harness multi-domain capabilities, with information serving as the key lynchpin to put the right assets in place at the proper time to best achieve desired effects. This presents a new paradigm for the Department of Defense, one in which information stands as a co-equal to traditional elements of hardware—things like planes, ships, tanks, and satellites.
View Around the World in 60 Minutes (Or Less!) By Kaitlyn Johnson PublishedJanuary 17, 2018 Space travel could be the next revolution in human transportation. Are commercial companies, like SpaceX, developing viable options? Furthermore, what other applications may this technology have?
Launch History: SpaceX Falcon 9 Last UpdatedJuly 5, 2022 A brief history of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.