The Space Policy Show

Ep. 163: Europe’s Sight on Space

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The European space sector is shifting. The rise of sovereign capabilities and proposed rules, like the European Union Space Act, are working to promot...

Ep. 162: Applications of AI to Space

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How is artificial intelligence being integrated into space systems today and into the future? What benefits and risks have yet to come? Human operator...

Ep. 161: Science Essentials to Live on Mars

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The journey to Mars is a long one so when humans arrive, we will need to maximize the science in order to understand the environment for a future ther...

Ep. 160: Rapid Space Commerce

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is the role of government when it comes to enabling and protecting the business of space? How do regulations keep up (or not) with innovation? T...

Ep. 159: Rapid Commercial

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Commercial space is a growing industry, and the U.S. government is looking for ways to build capabilities, support private industry, and increase comp...

Ep. 158: Rapid Acquisition for Defense

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 “poc...

Ep. 157: Rapid Propulsion & Power

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 cou...

Ep. 156: How Stuff Works: Rapid Launch

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 f...

Ep. 155: Rapid Open-Source Intel

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Open-source intelligence has historically been used to augment government intelligence about our adversaries.  Government is relying more heavily on ...

Ep. 154: Space Science Unfurled

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The participation of private industry in science and exploration missions that are sponsored by government has increased while still asking and answer...

Ep. 153: How Stuff Works: Resilient Skies

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can we balance the growing number of satellites on orbit, and the services they provide, with the importance of astronomical science and protectin...

Ep. 152: Resilient Global Space Futures

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 econom...

Ep. 151: Deep Dive: Sustaining Contested Space

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Ep. 150: Deep Dive: Advancing Science & Exploration

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The promise of return from investments in low Earth orbit (LEO) and cislunar, including the lunar surface, is the reason humans continue scientific an...

Ep. 149: Deep Dive: Measuring the Space Economy

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Experts claim the space economy will grow by many millions of dollars in the next decade, but why are predictions so different, how do some double cou...

Ep. 148: Deep Dive: Securing the Supply Chain

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recent geopolitical and natural events have highlighted the interconnectedness of the US supply chain for technology sectors, including space.  The i...

Ep. 147: Deep Dive: Advancing Commercial Space

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A successful commercial space sector will depend on a modern regulatory environment that can “keep up” with innovative technology and geopolitical...

Ep. 146: Deep Dive: Advancing National Strategy

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past four years the world has witnessed significant change – from covid to conflict.  The next US administration will need to make some bi...

Ep. 145: Real Talk on Sustained Space from IAC

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Space as a domain crosses all geopolitical borders which is why solutions from space to Earth must be international and sustainable over the long-term...

Ep. 144: Partnering for Safe, Secure, Sustainable

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The importance of space safety spans the lifetime of an entire effort – from design and launch to operations and demise.  The International Associa...

Ep. 143: Responsible Space Is International

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How does space sustainability drive research in policy and strategy from both sides of the Atlantic? What are the trades between the good space brings...

Ep. 142: The Resilience Dilemma

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The weaponization of space can be worrisome.  What is a space weapon and how could the “security dilemma” lead to an arms race in space? For the ...

Ep. 141: Regional Resilience – Japan’s Space Security

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Japan is situated in the Asia Pacific Region (APAC), considered “a rough neighborhood” when it comes to national defense and security. Recent deve...

Ep. 140: Resilient Alliances - Space Partner Down Under

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can Australian space efforts integrate and compliment US efforts in both the defense and commercial sectors?  What makes the geographic perspecti...

Ep. 139: Resilient Rocketry w/ Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can developments in rocket capabilities and in the way we launch reinforce resiliency and national security? For a future cislunar economy what wi...

Ep.138: 3-2-1 Launch to Safety

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As launches to space become more frequent and private spaceports are planned across the globe, how do launchers and regulators work to ensure both ran...

Ep.137: The In-Space Rescue Gap

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The need for in-space rescue of astronauts and other space participants may not be far off.  What do current space laws say, and not say, about space...

Ep. 136: Europe Eyes Sustainable Space

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Space debris is a growing problem, so what are space actors doing about it?  Active Debris Removal is a technology currently being demonstrated and s...

Ep. 135: Science and Cooperation Against Debris

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 Safety and sustainability go hand in hand when it comes to protecting the orbital environment for continued use. The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coord...

Ep. 134: What Is Space Safety?

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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?...

Ep. 133: How Stuff Works: Space Weather, Satellites & Humans

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 What’s the science behind how space weather affects our satellites and the services they provide? What design and operations options protect satel...

Ep. 132: Sustained Maneuver for Defending in Space

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Ep. 131: Servicing for Endurance

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Which commercial ISAM technologies offer military utility? How do these change the arena of contested space and deterrence? How will the future of Spa...

Ep. 130: The Geo-economics of ISAM

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

According to the Outer Space Treaty, authorization or certification for launch is the responsibility of each launching nation, as well as continuing s...

Ep.129: US National Strategies for ISAM

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

US leadership off-world is not guaranteed. What strategies are being employed at the national level to support in-space servicing, assembly, and manuf...

Ep. 128: Humans vs. Robots for ISAM

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Ep. 127: How Stuff Works: Servicing & Assembling in Space

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we want to service satellites rather than deorbit them? What do we and could we assemble and manufacture in space? What technologies exist and ...

Ep. 126: Standards & Services in Space

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

CONFERS is an international consortium of industry and government stakeholders in the global satellite servicing sector aiming to set standards and be...

Ep. 125: Forging Ahead in Cislunar

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The National Cislunar Science & Technology Strategy was released by the White House in November 2022.  What progress has been made? How does this...

Ep. 124: 21st Century Space Policies – Protect, Promote & Partner

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The expansion of space activities to new space actors in LEO and into the cislunar regime, has challenged policymakers to ask the right questions to c...

Ep. 123: Workforce, Workforce, Workforce

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does the US Space Force attract the right talent?  In addition to STEM, what other skills are needed in our Guardians? What’s unique about the ...

Ep. 122: How Stuff Works: Defending in Space

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can satellites be attacked? How and why do we place satellites in certain places? What does that have to do with defending them? What can satellit...

Ep. 121: Cyber Defense for Space

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is cybersecurity the Achilles heel of all our space services? What are national and international strategic approaches that could be taken? Is there r...

Ep. 120: Contested Space Strategy – Continuity & Change

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the Eisenhower administration, through the Cold War, and into the modern era space has been a domain of competition and cooperation.  How have s...

Ep. 119: Operating as a Team with Lt. Gen. Burt

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does the US Space Force face the reality of space as a warfighting domain versus space as a key enabler? What is the role of service-level joint f...

Ep. 118: The Season of Space Sustainability

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is little argument as to the importance of keeping space usable – both government and industry leaders continue to weigh in at the 5th annual ...

Ep. 117: Competing Globally: Technology Promotion & Export Control

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does the Department of Commerce help US leadership in the space sector? What does government do to leverage commercial R&D and capabilities? H...

Ep. 116: ASATs, Diplomats, and More Than That

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does the US Department of State shape national security space through diplomacy?  Why did the U.S. make a commitment to not conduct destructive, ...

Ep. 115: Reinventing the Western Range

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the difference between California’s Western Range in Santa Barbara County and Florida’s Eastern Range at Canaveral? The number of launche...

Ep. 114: Mapping Our Way to Sustainable Cislunar

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How is commercial space contributing to development of a cislunar ecosystem? What infrastructure is needed to make cislunar sustainable? What is the w...

Ep. 113: Reinventing Assured Access to Space

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The pace of launch is accelerating, and at Florida’s Eastern Range 80-90% of launches are commercial.  How does the US Space Force move from a “R...

E112- Fact or (Science) Fiction of Space Diplomacy

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do science fiction shows compare to real life diplomacy and politics? Join two serious space policy experts as they dive into the military-civil b...

E111- Exploration Beyond JWST

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As humans probe ever deeper into space, there is potential to discover where we came from, what we are made of, and how to effect change right back he...

E110- Buy What We Can – Build What We Must

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The integration of commercial space activities into government systems is not new, but its growing.  From civil to defense to the intelligence commun...

E109- What's It Like Working on Mars?

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Aerospace Corporation analog mission crew will be entering the Mars Desert Research Station  (MDRS) in Utah to simulate living and working on Mar...

E108- European Space Policy Perspectives

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the difference between the EU, ESA, and the individual countries in Europe when it comes to space? How do shifting geo-politics shape the con...

E107- Preserving the Value of Space

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The value of space goes beyond your GPS.  From timestamped banking to precision farming, and from disaster recovery to wildfire mitigation – the va...

E106- Guiding the Future of Spaceflight Safety

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More traffic on the road means more rules to protect drivers – the same is true for the space domain.  With more actors, larger constellations, and...

E105- What's New, What's Next: Norms in Space

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are key past, present, and future efforts by the U.S. government to help shape norms of behavior for making space safe, secure, and sustainable? ...

E104- Breaking Through in Space

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What efforts are underway to prove that we aren’t alone in the universe? How will the market evolve for commercial space stations in LEO, in-space m...

E103- The State of the Global Satellite Industry

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Once again the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) has released the annual State of the Satellite Industry Report 2022, produced by BryceTech. Today’...

E102- Injecting Space into Wargaming

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the difference between an exercise and a wargame? How does space play into game design? What makes a wargame good versus poorly designed? In t...

E101- Space Based Solar Power: Why Now?

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are many existing terrestrial sources for renewable energy including hydroelectric, geothermal, solar and wind. But Space Based Solar Power (SBS...

E100- Beyond the Basic: Commercial SSA

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While the US military has traditionally managed the world’s space situational awareness (SSA) database of objects orbiting Earth, the bulk of this s...

E99- Satellites at Sea: US Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do satellites help identify threats and track misbehavior at sea? What role do international and commercial space partnerships play in increasing ...

E98- USSF Space Operations Command w/ LtGen Whiting

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Space Operations Command (SpOC) was redesignated and transferred to the US Space Force less than two years ago. SpOC supports the operations readiness...

E97- Legality of Commercial-Military Integration

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The integration of commercial space with national security space promises to save money and propel government innovation. However, in a conflict, such...

E96- Space Matters in the Arctic

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the Arctic region continues to warm, it is becoming more congested and contested.  Space domain awareness and space-based communications networks ...

E95- Wildfires from Space

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Earth-observing satellites help us detect, monitor, and manage large forest fires. How does data from NASA space-based assets or the Canadian Space Ag...

E94- Assessing Commercial for Government Space

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Government agencies are increasingly looking to the commercial sector to meet their space mission needs.  What are the drivers toward this hybrid arc...

E93- Bringing More Stars to Space: DEI Across the Sector

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“While humanity extends its reach further into space, our workforce must reflect all the people on Earth and the values to which we aspire.”*  Fr...

E92- Space: Safe, Secure and Sustainable

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is our responsibility to keep the space environment sustainable for future generations?  From space traffic management (STM) to banning debris-c...

E91- GPS for Humanity- What's Next?

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

GPS has huge benefits to society – from everyday convenience to national defense to massive economic value. What did we get right? What are challeng...

E90- Curating Space Exploration at the Smithsonian

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What can we learn from the history of planetary science? What are the important stories of space exploration as told through curated museum collection...

E89- Space Diplomacy- UN COPUOS

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does space fit into the international diplomatic framework of the UN? How do countries try to reach agreements on some of the biggest legal and te...

E88- Monitoring Space Norms

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can an international space situational awareness (SSA) data sharing framework for assessing countries’ compliance with norms of behavior build enoug...

E87- Building an International Space Economy

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is an economy for space and what investments can we make now to build it? What are some key barriers and possible disrupters?  Join Jamie Morin,...

E86- Educating the Space Forces at NSSI

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Space is both part of, and separate from, other war domains – sea, air, and land.  What’s needed to ready our forces across all the military serv...

E85- Charting the Risks- NASA for the 21st Century

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is NASA at an inflection point in terms of how it does business, manages missions and ensures safety?  How might national space policy impact the fut...

E84- Spectrum Wars with Author Jennifer Manner

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Radiofrequency spectrum use is managed.  How has this evolved with the explosion of new wireless technologies, 5G and space-based services? RF spectr...

E83- Making the Moon a Reality

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What does the lunar and cislunar environment look like over the next 10 years? What scientific experiments are being planned? What new technologies wi...

E82- Bridging the Global Digital Divide- Doreen Bogdan-Martin

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The International Telecommunication Union, a specialized UN agency, facilitates inter-connection of the world’s communications networks, including c...

E81- International Partnerships in the Space Force

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why is international cooperation in space important? How does the US military pursue and sustain relationships with other space nations? What are the ...

E80- Fishing with Satellites- Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

1 in 5 fish that land on a dinner plate in America is a result of illegal fishing.* How do satellites identify illegal, unreported, and unregulated (I...

E79- Fresh Approaches to Fostering the Ideal Guardian

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

US Space Force Guardians are operating from almost a clean slate when it comes to building its culture and workforce.  At least that what the foundat...

E78- Allies and Partners By Design w General Kevin Whale

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With the US Space Force seeking to be a transformative military service from the onset, how is the Space Operations Command working to be lean and agi...

E77- Seeking Climate Justice from Space

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can space satellites help identify pollution and unsustainable land use practices? From oil spills to methane super-emitters, the view from space ...

E76- Enlisting a Space Force with Chief Towberman

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

 Enlisted members of the US Space Force can look to the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer in the service to advise the top leadership on their...

E75- Learning the Risks of Long-Duration Human Space Flight

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How does NASA help prepare for astronauts to remain in isolation and confinement for long-duration space flight to Mars?  Enter SIRIUS-21 – an 8 mo...

E74- Highlights from 2021 Value of Space Summit

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are space systems considered “critical infrastructure”?  How much of our lives are dependent on space, what’s at risk and how should it be prot...

E73- Navigating the Road to SmallSat Compliance

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Large and mega constellations of small satellites are being launched and planned for low earth orbit. This proliferated environment has various regula...

E72- Inspiring a More Secure World

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

 Secure World Foundation’s co-founder has a vision that space should be secure and sustainable, and used for peaceful purposes that benefit all of ...

E71- Flying Cars! The Case for Advanced Air Mobility

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever imagined a city or suburb with unmanned aerial vehicles ready to take you or your goods where they need to go?  How do air traffic poli...

E70- Diversity & Inclusion Across the Nation’s FFRDCs

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

 How are the nation’s FFRDC’s managing the current upswing across the country to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to the forefront? ...

E69- Evolving the AF Academy for Space Force Needs

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How is the US Air Force Academy making changes to its military training and academic curriculum to better prepare cadets for entering the Space Force?...

E68- Space Rescue

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In-space rescue of distressed spacecraft in low earth orbit, or anywhere else in space, has limited capabilities today. Without rescue plans in place,...

E67- Building Normentum- Norms of Behavior in Space

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The number of players in space continues to increase – internationally and commercially. For better safety and security there needs to be norms of b...

E66- Force Design: Lessons from the Marine Corps

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The US Space Force intends to use “force design” to determine what the service will do and how it does it through the Space Warfighting Analysis C...

E65- Partnerships Across the National Labs & Academia

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

 What are the National Labs and FFRDC's and how do they partner with universities on advanced research and funding for the US space enterprise? ...

E64- NASA & Space Nuclear Propulsion

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Using nuclear propulsion systems for space missions has been researched for decades. But invigorated by new Mars missions for humans and the 2020 NSP,...